(first posted 2/8/2017) No journey back in time to large European rear-engine cars like the splendid one we had today would be complete without what is undoubtedly one of the most unusual promotional films ever made for a car. But then the Tatra 603 was an unusual car, and it more than deserves the starring role in this. Don’t miss it; or watch it again. Part 2 after the jump.
The many exceptional capabilities of the 603 are in full display, including ones I hadn’t anticipated. Happy Journey!
If you’re up for more 603 love and devotion, here’s homage to it.
What was that half-wagon/half-panel truck the cops were driving? It looks too big to be a Skoda but was clearly conventional FR so not a Tatra.
It’s a Skoda 1201.
Actually it is a Tatra.
This is one of the four T201 prototypes made in 1948-49. One had a pick-up body, the others were vans (including one ambulance). It has the traditional Tatra backbone chassis, but has a T600’s flat-4 in the front. It also shares some of its sheetmetal with the T600.
Forgot to attach a pic…
Also, don’t forget Tatra made “normal” (front-engine / RWD) cars right up to the nationalization of 1948. Those were the T57s, and they were Tatra’s bread-and-butter. The V8 streamliners sold in very small quantities compared to the T57.
They only stopped making those because they were ordered to by the State, who wanted to divide the car market between Jawa/Aero for small FWD cars, Skoda for mid-range cars and Tatra for big luxury cars.
Can’t believe anything any close could come from a communist country, especially the music. ( even though I heard of Soviet Jazz ) That’s pretty joyful and liberal, and no wonder Czechoslovakia was the brighter side on the other side of iron curtain.
Even though I saw this video before, still can’t help thinking about that.
Cumulating in Prague Spring in 1968, Czechoslovakia was definitely more liberal than any of the other Eastern Bloc countries, and of any of the Communist countries except for Yugoslavia. My parents did their first visit over to see family during that time, and my normally Goldwater Republican father was actually complementary on their way of life.
Of course that all ended a few months later when the T-55’s came rolling into Prague.
Now we know pretty much what James Dean’s last ride in his 550 Spyder might have looked like. “Happy Journey”, indeed.
My first impression is slip and slide with Tatraglide.
I like to imagine they were making a run for the border, as in The Great Escape.
Such a great short. Filmed in 1962, apparently.
That 603 is just flying all over the place. I wonder who their intended audience was…
Happy oversteer! Love the snazzy color combo of light yellow and red on the featured car.
The driver is a braver man than I am, slaloming the car like that! I’d be willing to try something like that in a FWD car.
it makes me want to put on my thick white gloves and go play in our Canadian snow in my snazzy two tone 1962 Tatra !
I’ve heard of the Tatra 603, but for some reason they were never sold here in the USA. It’s a shame, I can see them competing against the likes of either the Volkswagen Beetle or against Mercedes-Benz.
IIRC the Tatra 603 was a low – production car, and was reserved primarily for Communist party bigwigs… they were also provided to party functionaries in East Germany… and a few exported:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatra_603
“The Model T603 was allocated only to senior members of the political and industrial establishments. About a third of T603 production was exported to most of the central and eastern European countries allied to Czechoslovakia at the time, as well as to Cuba and China. Sales to private individuals were not normally possible, although a few T603s appear to have been privately owned in East Germany. During the car’s twenty-year production run, 20,422 cars were built, mostly by hand. To the west of the Iron Curtain the car was mostly unknown, though some were used by Czechoslovak embassies in western capitals, and for a brief period some were exported to Canada and the USA, following on the success of the rear-engined VW Beetle…
Former Cuban President Fidel Castro is believed still to have owned a white T603 featuring air conditioning…
The T603s took part in 79 races (24 international) in years 1957 to 1967, resulting in a total 60 first, 56 second and 49 third positions…
Originally COMECON issued a provision limiting Czechoslovakia to production of no more than 300 luxurious cars per year. Tatra was making more of them, though. This became an issue in 1957 and 1958, especially considering that East Germany produced its own luxurious car, the Sachsenring P240. COMECON decided that the two countries must reach a deal to choose which country would continue production to supply the other. In 1958 the Ministries of Interior of both countries took part in trials, which East Germany’s Minister of Machinery personally attended. The 603 won, and subsequently East Germany’s higher communist officials were able to drive the T603, while the lower ones had to drive imports from USSR…”
I wonder if Jeff Lane has seen these … though I can’t imagine his wanting any of his cars put through such treatment.
The thing that kills me about every Tatra I’ve look over is the stunning quality of the design and workmanship. The oldest one in the Lane Museum, I think from 1927 or so, is a two-cylinder light truck, and the main engine casting is also the front structural cross-member, a light-alloy piece of stunning grace and elegance.
In the early part of the 20th century there was a trend to all in one castings especially in large equipment and locomotives. Especially in locomotives which had been built up from bar frames and had every else bolted on the frames which worked loose over time. By the time steam locomotives were phased out they had their frames, lower smoke box, cylinders, valve bodies, air compressor cylinders, reverse gear housings and a bunch of other auxiliary equipment cast as one piece, Farm tractors are another item that the equipment acted as a frame.
Czechs have traditionally been superb engineers, and have turned out top – quality products. The label “Made in Czechoslovakia” was a guarantee of quality (but not so much during the Communist regime years of 1948 – 1989, when quality declined under central planning and trade was re – oriented towards the East Bloc nations)…
Across the Charles Bridge, and into the downtown streets and alleys of old Prague.
I think the young lady would rather have stayed home however than riding with this Bill Hickman imitator.
Stunned, I am.
Can you imagine a Ford short-film where the ’62 Galaxy 500 is drifted, jumped, crosses streams, swings through narrow alleys, plows snow and slides down a hill after rolling (at least) once? The thing would be a crumpled mess at the bottom. Ford (GM, Chrysler, AMC) would be sued for false advertising.
I can imagine that, well, except for the rolling over part: