Tatra 600

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tatra 600 Tatraplan
Overview
Manufacturer Tatra, a. s.
Production 1946–1952
6,342 built
Assembly Kopřivnice till 1951
Mladá Boleslav (Škoda plant) after 1951
Designer Josef Chalupa
Vladimír Popelář
František Kardaus
Hans Ledwinka.
Body and chassis
Body style 4-door saloon (Finned Fastback)
Layout RR layout
Powertrain
Engine 1952 cc Tatra 600 OHV Flat-4
Transmission 4-speed manual[1]
Dimensions
Wheelbase 2,700 mm (110 in)
Length 4,540 mm (179 in)
Chronology
Predecessor Tatra 97
Successor Tatra 603
Tatra 600 Tatraplan in an exhibition

The Tatra 600, named the Tatraplan, was a large car from the Czech manufacturer Tatra.

After World War II, Tatra continued its pre-war business of building passenger cars in addition to commercial (and military) vehicles. The factory was nationalised in 1946 two years before the 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).

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 monocoque streamlined six-seater saloon body with a drag coefficient (Cd) of just 0.32.[2][3][4] It was powered by an air-cooled flat-4-cylinder 1,952 cc rear-mounted engine. 6,342 were made, 2,100 of them in Mladá Boleslav. In 2010, in the UK, Tatraplan had been selected by public vote in the 'Classic Car of the Year' competition as the winner of the 1940s category.

Tatra 600
The chassis of Tatra T600 Tatraplan, with rear-mounted flat-4 engine.

Streamlined Tatras


Models

  • Tatra 107 - predecessor of 600, produced from 1946-1947.
  • Tatra 201 - commercial version of 600, four built in 1947.
  • Tatra 600 Diesel - similar to 600 but with 2.0L diesel engine, three prototypes built in 1949.
  • Tatra 601 Monte Carlo - a two-door sports car based on the 600, one (possibly two) built in 1949.
  • Tatra 602 Tatraplan Sports - a race car based on the 600, 2 built in 1949.
  • Tatra 604 - smaller version of 600, one prototype built in 1954.

Notes

  1. ↑ Gloor, Roger (1. Auflage 2007). Alle Autos der 50er Jahre 1945 - 1960. Stuttgart: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 978-3-613-02808-1. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://www.tatraplan.co.uk
  3. ↑ Karel Rosenkranz, Tatra, Autoalbum, 2002, page 107
  4. ↑ Martin Janik, Tatra, Computer Press, Brno 2005, page 76

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

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tatra T600 Tatraplan.
Tatra models
Cars
Civilian trucks:
Military trucks:
Prototypes and racing cars:
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.