Skoda has revisited one of the most characterful cars in its history, unveiling a contemporary reimagining of the classic Felicia Fun pick-up. The new design study, developed by French stylist Julien Petitseigneur, channels the spirit of the late 1990s cult model while incorporating Skoda’s Modern Solid design language.
While Skoda has earned a reputation for producing some of the best all-rounders in the industry, its history also features models created purely for enjoyment. Among the most memorable is the Felicia Fun – a bold, bright pick-up built between 1997 and 2000 that brought a spirit of adventure to the brand’s line-up. With a unique sliding rear partition and pop-up rear seats, the Felicia Fun quickly became a cult favourite and today stands as one of Skoda’s rarest production cars, with just over 4,200 examples made.
The new interpretation of the Felicia Fun draws on Skoda’s Modern Solid design philosophy, first showcased on the Vision 7S concept and a defining element of the new Elroq and Enyaq models. Its clean surfaces and bold proportions reflect Skoda’s new direction, while subtle retro touches preserve the carefree character of the original.
At the front, the study features the Tech-Deck Face grille flanked by slim, T-shaped LED headlights – a signature Modern Solid element. The wide stance and aerodynamic wheels are offset by chunky black bumpers, sills, and wheel arch cladding, all contrasting with the model’s unmistakable yellow bodywork.
While the rear retains the full-width spoiler of the original, the trim strip in the tailgate has been replaced by a light bar that emits pink rather than red light. Petitseigneur also chose neon pink for wheel highlights and glass tints to further reinforce the car’s playful, beachside feel.
Explaining what inspired him to create a rebooted version of the original, Petitseigneur said: “The original car was pure fun – it didn’t take itself too seriously, and it stood out in a way that few other Skodas ever have. For me, it was the obvious choice to reimagine in my spare time. I even found myself looking at buying an original while working on the sketches.”
Inside, the reimagined Felicia Fun continues the retro theme. A full-width dashboard screen features old-school video game-style graphics, with the screens designed in such a way that they look like a modern reinterpretation of the chunky CRT monitors familiar from the original car’s era. Although Petitseigneur opted not to incorporate the original model’s sliding rear bulkhead and additional open-air seating, the concept’s proportions would allow for them in a production-ready model.
“The Felicia Fun was unusual, but its design was relatively simple, which made adapting it to Modern Solid surprisingly straightforward.” Explains Petitseigneur. “It had clean shapes and very little ornamentation, so updating it was more about proportions and details than reinventing it entirely.”
The Felicia Fun was built at Skoda Auto’s Kvasiny plant in the Czech Republic between 1997 and 2000. Based on the Felicia pick-up, it transformed a practical utility vehicle into a lifestyle-focused leisure car. Its standout feature was the sliding rear partition, which could be moved into the load bed to create space for two open air extra seats.
All Felicia Fun models featured bright yellow bodywork, paired with colour-coded bumpers, trims, and spoilers in green, orange, or yellow. A distinctive rear spoiler on the tailgate, combined with its striking paintwork, made it instantly recognisable. The Fun also featured an unusual green frog motif on the B-pillar. Although there was no official explanation as to why the reptile was chosen as the car’s official mascot, the unofficial reasoning from the brand was that it was symbol of fun, freedom, and the outdoors.
With only 4,216 units produced, the Felicia Fun remains a rare and highly sought-after model.
