Tatra 600
| Tatra 600 Tatraplan | |
|---|---|
Flat-4 | |
| Transmission | 4-speed manual[1] |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2,700 mm (106.3 in) |
| Length | 4,540 mm (178.7 in) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Tatra 97 |
| Successor | Tatra 603 |
The Tatra 600, named the Tatraplan, was a
. The first prototype was finished in 1946.History
After
Communist takeover. Although production of pre-war models continued, a new model, the Tatra 600 Tatraplan was designed in 1946-47 by Josef Chalupa, Vladimír Popelář, František Kardaus and Hans Ledwinka. The name of the car celebrated the new Communist planned economy
but also referred to aeroplane inspiration ('éroplan' means aeroplane in colloquial Czech).
Originally the 600 was known as the Tatra 107, continuing from Tatra's previous aerodynamic cars- the 77, 87, and 97- as it was intended as a newer, smaller, and cheaper version to replace the outdated Tatra 57. Tatra switched to a new numbering system after WWII, with all car model codes began with 600; as a result, the Tatra 107 became the Tatra 600.
After two prototypes "Ambrož" (December 1946) and "Josef" (March 1947), the 600 went into mass production in 1948. In 1951, the state planning department decided that the Tatraplan should henceforth be built at the
Skoda Auto plant in Mladá Boleslav, leaving Tatra to concentrate on truck assembly. This was quite unpopular with the workforce at both plants: as a result Skoda built Tatraplans for one year only before the model was discontinued in 1952.[2]
The Tatraplan had a
air-cooled flat-four cylinder, 1,952 cc rear-mounted engine. 6,342 were made, 2,100 of them in Mladá Boleslav. In 2010, in the UK, the Tatraplan won the 'Classic Car
of the Year' competition in the 1940s category.
Models
- Tatra 107 - original designation of 600.
- Tatra 201 - commercial version of 600, four built (a pickup truck, a panel van, and two ambulances) in 1947. Unlike the 600, the 201 was front-engined.
- Tatra 600 Diesel - similar to 600 but with 2.0L diesel engine, three prototypes built in 1949.
- Tatra 601 Monte Carlo - a 2-door sports car based on the 600, one (possibly two) built in 1949.
- racing carbased on the 600, 2 built in 1949.
- Tatra 604 - smaller version of 600, one prototype built in 1954.
Gallery
-
Tatra 600 Tatraplan in an exhibition -
Tatra 600 -
Tatra 600 engine-bay -
Tatra 600 at the Tampa Bay Automobile Museum
Notes
.JPG)
Streamlined Tatras
- Tatra V570 1931, 1933
- Tatra 77 1933-1938
- Tatra 87 1936-1950
- Tatra 97 1936-1939
- Tatra 600 1946-1952
- Tatra 603 1956-1975
- ISBN 978-3-613-02808-1.
- ^ a b "Tatra T600 Tatraplan". Tatra T600 Tatraplan.
- ISBN 978-80-900915-9-7
- ISBN 80-7226-573-3
References
- Margolius, Ivan: 'Tatra T600 – Tatraplan', Architectural Design, vol. 71, no. 5, September 2001, London, pp. 84–88.
- Field, Ben: 'Smooth Operator', Classic Cars magazine, May 2010, pp. 88–92
- Margolius, Ivan and Henry, John G: Tatra - The Legacy of Hans Ledwinka, SAF Publishing, Harrow 1990, ISBN 0-946719-06-3
- Margolius, Ivan and Henry, John G: Tatra - The Legacy of Hans Ledwinka, Veloce Publishing, Dorchester 2015, ISBN 978-1-845847-99-9
External links
Media related to Tatra 600 Tatraplan at Wikimedia Commons
| Authority control databases: National |
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