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I reckon if you are a Volkswagen Type 4 enthusiast, then you probably have a soft spot for the rear engined air-cooled Czech Tatra cars, so I post this here in the hope it will make some of you rejoice

Sadly they are not making a brand new design, but plan to produce maybe a thousand replicas of 3 of their most famous models based on the running gear of a big automotive producer. I just hope they will be rear engined!!

http://www.radio.cz/en/article/102624

Apparently you can vote here for the model you would like to put back into production. (Translated from a Czech website)

I reckon the T613 could have been a bigger brother to the 411/412, and its DOHC, air-cooled, V8 produces a sound that will make you weak at the knees!

A little bit on the history of Tatra from the BBC's Top Gear, 1993

hy doc ,,did you know ,, the first job for MR PORSCHE was in tatra during the years 20-30,, if you look the very old tatra car model and if you look the first beetle ,they has the same look,,albert

Hi Albert,

As far as I know, Dr Porsche didn't work for Tatra, but he was a friend of the famous Tatra engineer Hans Ledwinka and his son Erich (who later went on to design the Styer Haflinger and Pinzgauer, both of which had a backbone chassis, air-cooled engines and swing axle independent suspension). During the development of the Beetle, Porsche and Ledwinka are said to have met regularly to discuss ideas. It is said that Dr Porsche remarked that he occasionally looked over Ledwinka's shoulder and sometimes Ledwinka looked over his!

I found this on the INTERNATIONAL STREAMLINED TATRA SITE:

In the late 1930s it became clear that VW had used several patents of the Tatra factory. It's likely Porsche used these patents because of the enourmous presure from Hitler to develop the KdF-Wagen in a short time and on a tight budget. Just before the outbrake of WWII Tatra had ten legal claims against VW for infringement of patents. Although Porsche was about to make a settlement with Tatra, Hitler stopped him and told Porsche he would "solve this problem". Shortly after he invaded Czechoslovakia and gained control over the Tatra factory. Hitler immediately stopped the production of the T97 after only 508 cars were built. The T97's big brother, the V8-powered T87, did remain in production during the first years of the war. The T87 was considered by German high command as the ultimate car for the new German Autobahns and was a real favourite amongst German officers

It would be great to see a modern development of the big Tatra, all the big executive cars look very samey these days. I have no burning desire to go for a ride in a VW Phaeton, even the forthcoming Porsche Panamera looks pretty uninspiring from what I have seen, nowhere near as avant-garde and innovative as the big Tatras from the 1930s.



They look very sinister in black!
Neil

very nice your pict. 412s ,, i have see one tratra same year here in my city ,,she was green ,, this guy import her car from polish,,or europe ,,wend he came to live here,,we have here a very nice tatra show room ,,the model 1990 and more old ,, the model 1990 was very nice , modern car ,,includ all the modern gadget,, not very far from my house ,, for mr,porsche story i have see that on the web ,,but on the web that is not sure to 100%,,albert

What do you think? A Volkswagen Type 4 on steroids?





I've sat in one, but never had the opportunity to go out for a drive in one

412s2 wrote:What do you think? A Volkswagen Type 4 on steroids?

I think I'm in love~

yes tatra got one here in her show room ,,model 1986-7 i thing ,,very and very nice ,,the sound for the motor is fantastic,,like a modern porsche ,, 911 turbo,, only one thing the trunk is very small ,, the inner fenders take many place inside ,,albert