Tatra (car)
Tatra (named after the
Tatra mountains) is a vehicle manufacturer in
Kopřivnice,
Czech Republic. The company was founded in
1850 as a wagon and carriage manufacturer, and produced the first motor car in central Europe in
1897, the Präsident. One source claims that Tatra is the
third oldest [car maker] in the world after Daimler Mercedes-Benz and Peugeot. Production of Tatra cars ceased in
1999 but the company still produces a successful range of primarily all-wheel-drive 4x4, 6x6, 8x8 10x10 and 12x12 trucks (see
Tatra trucks).
Ignác Šustala (1822 - 1891), founder of the company, started the production of
horse-drawn vehicles:
carriages,
phaetons and
buggys drawned by horses in
1850.
In the
1920s, Tatra developed the chassis concept that was to last: a rigid backbone tube with swinging semi-axles, first appearing in
1923 on the
Tatra 11.
 |
Tatra corporate logo |
Tatra's specialty was luxury cars of a technically advanced nature. In the
1930s, under
Austrian engineer
Hans Ledwinka and his son Erich, Tatra started building advanced, streamlined cars starting with the large
Tatra T77 in 1934, the world's first production aerodynamic car. The T77's
drag coefficient of 0.212 is rarely bettered even by the sleekest modern cars. It featured, as did almost all subsequent big Tatras, a rear-mounted,
air-cooled V8 engine, very technically sophisticated for the time.
Ledwinka discussed his ideas with
Ferdinand Porsche who used many Tatra design features in the 1938 Kdf-Wagen, later known as the
VW Beetle. This is particularly evident when compared with the smaller T97 model which had a rear-mounted, air-cooled,
flat-4 engine and rounded body styling. Tatra immediately started legal action, but the matter was not resolved until 1961 when
Volkswagen was ordered to pay 3,000,000
Deutsche Marks in damages.
After the invasion of
Czechoslovakia by
Nazi Germany, Tatras continued in production, largely because Germans liked the cars. Liked them too well, in fact; many German officers met their deaths when pushing heavy, rear-engined Tatras faster around corners than they could handle. In fact, the Tatra became known as the
Czech Secret Weapon for the scores of officers who died behind the wheel; at one point, it seems, official orders had to be issued forbidding German officers from driving Tatras.
The factory was nationalised in
1946 after the
Communist Party was elected to power. Although production of prewar models continued, a new model, the
Tatra T600 Tatraplan was designed -- the name celebrating the new Communist planned economy. It went into production in
1947. In
1951, the state planning department decided that the Tatraplan should henceforth be built at the
Skoda plant in
Mladá Boleslav, leaving Tatra free to concentrate on trucks.
A mere three years later, amid much dissatisfaction among officialdom about the poor-quality official cars imported from
Russia, Tatra was again given permission to produce a luxury car, the famous Tatra T603. A fair successor to the prewar cars, it was also driven by a rear-engined, air-cooled V8 and had the company's trademark aerodynamic styling. Uniquely, the Tatra T603 featured three headlights, and the first prototypes had a central rear stabilising fin, though this was lost for production. Fitted with almost
American-style thick
chrome bumpers with bullets (a.k.a.
Dagmar bumpers), the Tatra T603 was an amazing looking car for
1955. Looks weren't all it had going for it; performance was spritely for a large, six-seater car, and the ride was smooth as glass. Almost entirely hand-built, Tatras were not for everybody; normal citizens could not buy them. They were reserved for Party elites, Communist officials, factory presidents and other notables, as well as being exported to most other Communist nations as official cars. Even
Fidel Castro had a white Tatra T603, custom-fitted with air conditioning.
Tatra T603s were built until
1975, a twenty-year reign as Communism's finest car. Numerous improvements were made over this time, but not all the
new cars built in this period were actually new. When a new Tatra replaced an old, the old vehicle was returned to the factory. There, it was upgraded to modern condition, refinished, dubbed
new and sent out again as a putatively new vehicle to replace another older Tatra. This makes it hard to trace the history of surviving vehicles.
The T603 appeared in the 2005 movie
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events as the other car that looks odder than the
Chrysler Imperial.
Image:Tatra_603.jpg|Tatra T603 (side view)Image:Voiture-603-p1010139.jpg|Tatra T603 (front)Image:Tatra-603-p1010140.jpg|Tatra T603 (rear)Image:Tatra T603 Engine.jpg|Tatra T603 (engine) |
Tatra T613-4 Mi Long Model 1995 |
|
Tatra T613 V8 petrol air cooled engine |
In
1968 a replacement was developed; the Tatra T613. It was styled by the
Italian styling house of
Vignale and was a more modern, less rounded shape. It was not until
1973 that any were actually produced by the factory, and volume production did not begin until the following year. Although the layout remained the same, the body and engine were all new, the unit being equipped with 4 overhead camshafts, a greater volume (3495 cc) and delivering close to 165 bhp. In addition, it had been moved somewhat forward for improved balance. These cars were built in 5 series and several modifications until
1996. It is a tribute to Vignale's excellent styling that they did not look outdated until rather late in that time period. Over 11,000 cars were built, slowing to a trickle of but a few dozen a year towards the end as Tatras began to seem more and more outdated.
With orders and production almost at a standstill after the fall of
Communism, Tatra decided to stop building the T613 in
1996. An attempt was made to produce an updated version, the T700; it was largely based on the old car, with updated body panels and detail. Sales were poor, and in
1999 Tatra abandoned the manufacture of cars.
No such fate has met Tatra's truck production, which is quite successful.
The
United States Terex Corporation acquired the majority ownership (71%) of Tatra in late
2003.
Passenger cars
*
Tatra 11*
Tatra 12*
Tatra 17*
Tatra 57*
Tatra 75*
Tatra V570*
Tatra 77*
Tatra 77a*
Tatra 87*
Tatra 97*
Tatra 107* Tatra 600
Tatraplan*
Tatra 603*
Tatra 613*
Tatra 700Trucks
*
Tatra 111*
Tatra 141*
Tatra 805*
Tatra 138*
Tatra 813*
Tatra 148*
Tatra 815**
Tatrapan Armored vehicle based on the Tatra 815 chassis.
*
Tatra 163 Jamal*
Tatra 816*
List of automobile manufacturers*
Tatra A.S official page*
Tatra Cars Services Official Site*
Tatra Portal - Biggest website about Tatra cars and Trucks*
UK Tatra site*
Dutch Tatraworld*
Comenius article*
International Streamlined Tatra Site*
Rereation Trucks article*
Extreme trucks
