Václav Laurin

Václav Laurin
Václav Laurin in 1893
Born	(1865-10-16)16 October 1865 Kamení, Austrian Empire
Died	3 December 1930(1930-12-03) (aged 65) Prague, Czechoslovakia
Nationality	Czech
Occupation(s)	Engineer, industrialist, automotive pioneer

Václav Laurin (16 October 1865, Kamení near Pěnčín – 3 December 1930, Prague) was a Czech engineer, industrialist and automotive pioneer who, along with Václav Klement, founded automobile manufacturer Laurin & Klement that later became today's Škoda Auto.

He apprenticed as a locksmith in Mladá Boleslav, where, in 1895, he and Václav Klement founded the company Laurin & Klement (now Škoda Auto). At the beginning of December 1895, the mechanic Václav Laurin and the book-seller Václav Klement, both bicycle enthusiasts, started manufacturing bicycles of their own design, patriotically named Slavia in the nationalist atmosphere of the end of the 19th century.^[1] In 1905, Laurin manufactured their first automobile. Today, the company enjoys worldwide popularity under the brand Škoda Auto.^[1]

Laurin was prominently engaged in the automobile company Laurin & Klement, together with his collaborator Václav Klement, co-founder of the company. He participated in the construction of vehicles there. In his later years, he was the technical director of Škoda Auto.^{[2]: 76–77}

• "Václav Laurin". FINANCNICI.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 3 April 2018.
• "Václav Laurin (27.9.1865 – 4.12.1930): Konstruktér prvního českého motocyklu a automobilu". zivotopisyonline.cz (in Czech). 9 June 2008. Retrieved 3 April 2018.