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TATRA T87

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with a cause

rebel F

ounded in 1850 as a carriagebuilder, Czech Republic carcompany Tatra is the thirdoldest in the world behindMercedes-Benz and Peugeot.

 While it may have failed to achieve thelevel of success that its German andFrench contemporaries enjoy, Tatra justmight have saved us from Adolf Hitler.

That’s right, during the height of theThird Reich’s supremacy, this little carmaker in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia

 was knocking-off German officers withits ‘secret weapon’ at such a rate thatThe Führer had to ban all officers fromdriving the Tatra in case the German

 war effort was compromised by thethinning numbers of ranking Nazis.

Produced from 1936-1950, the TatraT87 was a hero to the Czech peoplefor introducing many a German officerto telegraph poles and ditches via itstendency to lift-off oversteer.

But it wasn’t just this propensity forlunching down Third Reich officerson their way home from the pubthat endeared the T87 to the locals(and fans worldwide to this day). It

 was the Tatra’s innovative design andengineering that made it special.

For a car conceived in the early 1930s, the T87 was incredibly 

futuristic, not only aesthetically butengineering-wise too, and representedthe zenith of a collaboration betweenlegendary Tatra engineer, HansLedwinka, and Zeppelin airshipdesigner Paul Jaray. A pioneer of automotive streamlining, Jaray pennedthe preceding 1934 Tatra T77 upon

 which the T87 was based.Ledwinka was the engineer

responsible for much of the successTatra enjoyed in the first half of the20th century, but when compared tohis old friend and rival, FerdinandPorsche (more on Porsche later),Ledwinka remains to this day one

the streamlined tatra t87 was a triumph of mechanical innovation.but did it also save the free world from adolf hitler?

 words ben dillon PICs nathan duff

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TATRA T87

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This exquisiTe T87 blong toBrban-bad Nck Dant woa a ro eropan clacabt. Nck crrntly own a

TVR Tcan, a Bgatt T57 anda brtal matt-black AC Cobra,bt t nal confgraton,tylng, and colorfl tory of t Tatra pd ntrt.

Nck’ 1947 T87 waadvrtd a a ‘rtord car’bt on arrval from Ontaro,Canada, t trnd ot to b trty and ndd a propr rto.

Dant commond tprncd Wolf Grodd, woown and rn Brban-badübr-rtorr slpng Bat,to pt t Tatra rgt.

Frt coc for t ntror wa rd latr (mc lk tT87 n t Matton ‘watr dr’

commrcal, cck t ot on Yo Tb) bt Nck dcdd togo for a mor commnt racombnaton of olv grn andbon, n ordr to kp t Tatraomwat prod corrct.

T rtoraton ndd ptakng 3-4 yar, drng wctm t ngn wa wappdfor a 2.5-ltr almnm nt from a latr T603 Tatra and warblt and fttld by Cltonengnrng.

T nd rlt a rar car(pobly t only on n Oz)tat Nck njoy drvng to work wn t dr for ovrtrovrcom m. – BD  

I OWN ONE...

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of the least recognised masters of automotive innovation.

Testament to Ledwinka’s ability andforesight survive in his many air-cooled,rear-mounted engine patents and hisinvention of the ‘backbone’ chassis – still afeature of modern truck design.

However, the greatest vindication of Ledwinka’s transcendent automotiveprowess is the fact that from the T77 of 1934 until the final Tatra road car – theT700, which ended production in 1999

– the layout of big Tatra passenger carsremained unchanged.

 Amazing to think that for 65 years,there was always a Tatra luxury model

 with a rear-mounted, air-cooled V8.Porsche can only claim a 48-year history for its legendary 911...

F o onLedwinka, along with his son Erich andengineer Erich Übelacker, led the Tatracharge into vehicle streamlining with theT77, subsequent T87, and the smallerT97, backing up breathtakingly beautifuland efficient aerodynamic cars with atechnical competence that left competing

companies trailing.The T87 was the first Tatra that allied

the Ledwinka-patented backbone chassis with swing-arm rear suspension and a

2970cc air-cooled, magnesium-alloy V8.Under the twin-carburettors,

hemispherical heads with a two-valve-per-cylinder layout allowed the escape of gasses, while twin cooling fans, slats, ventsand scoops took care of engine cooling.

 An interesting feature of the T87 is therear slats on the engine cover that canbe opened (for cold weather driving) orclosed (in hot weather) manually.

The pace of the T87 owed much to Jaray’s streamlining design principles andfeatured a claimed drag-coefficient (Cd) of 0.251 (based on a 1:5 scale model) and atop speed of 100mph (161km/h), despitethe paltry output of 55kW (75hp) fromthat burbling V8.

 While the claimed top speed was foundto be accurate, wind tunnel testing in1979 by Volkswagen found the T87 had atrue drag coefficient of 0.36 – quite a featconsidering that many new cars today stillhave higher Cd figures.

Famous T87 owners have includedFelix Wankel (the inventor of therotary engine), American writer JohnSteinbeck, Egyptian King Farouk Iand comedian Jay Leno, but theTatra’s initial role was serving as luxury transport for Czech government(and occupying) officials through the

transformation of Czechoslovakia tocommunism after WWII once Nazioccupation ended.

The T87 was highly regarded for itscompliant ride, speed and efficiency (12-13L/100km was the advertisedconsumption) but it was also respectedfor its tail-happy exuberance, which

AbOvE streamlined body and rearengine give uperb cruiing credential

lEfT  Wheel are o a imilar deignto thoe employed by Chryler on theimilarly treamlined 1934 Airow

for 65 years there was a rear-mounted, aIr-Cooled v8 luxury tatra model

RIghT For many a German ofcer, thi Art Deco dah wa the lat thing they ever aw

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TATRA T87

fAST fACTS xxxxxx

ENgINE 2970cc V8 ohC mgsm-

y r-c w-crrrs

POWER: 74p (55kW) @3500rpm

TORquE: /

bORE x STROkE: 75 x 84mm

gEARbOx: 4-sp w sycrms

3r 4.

lENgTh: 4810mm (mpr mpr)

WIdTh: 1670mm

hEIghT: 1540mm

WhEElbASE: 2850mm

WEIghT: 1370kg

fuEl CONSumPTION:

12-13/100km

0-100km/h: /

TOP SPEEd: 161km/ (100mp)

NumbER buIlT: 3056

PRICE WhEN NEW: 24,000 Chf

(1947)

PRICE NOW: $200,000+

The BiGGeR TATRA T87 wat front-ln wapon makngcntzl ot of Grman offcron Czc road, bt t mallr

T97 (508 blt from 1936-39) wa dmd c a trat tat htlr pronally klld t off.

T T97 borrowd avlyfrom t Ld wnka-Jaray V570concpt of t arly ‘30, wcnvr mad prodcton bt attractd t attnton of htlrand Frdnand Porc.

Ldwnka and Porc knwac otr pronally and adbn known to cang daa bot workd at dffrnt tmfor Atran car makr styr.

Ldwnka ad ptcd tda of a mall ‘popl’ car’ tostyr a arly a 1921, wcstyr rjctd, bt pon

rtrn to Tatra, ntrt warkndld wt t V570 concpt fatrng an ar-coold flat-forn t tal of an arodynamcbody (ond famlar?) tat pavd t way for t T97.

Manwl, Porc watrgglng to fll t brf agnd by htlr to crata popl’ car and lookd toTatra’ nw T97 for npraton.

Porc’ 1938 KdF Wagn (latr to b calld t Volkwagn) wa o mlar tot V570 and T97 n bot tylngand ngnrng tat Tatra d.

 Wl Frdnand Porcdd latr admt “to av lookdovr Ldwnka’ oldr” n

dgnng t Volkwagn, tmattr wan’t ttld n cort ntl 1961 (Tatra rc vd DM3,000,000 n damag) ahtlr annd Czcolovakan 1938 and mmdatly klldprodcton of t T97, wcmay av bn htlr’ da of an ot of cort ttlmnt. – BD 

ThE ORIgINAlbEETlE?

could make it a deadly weapon if care wasn’t taken, especially in the wet.

Po-modn odDriving the car today is an interesting, if slightly unnerving experience, and not justbecause you are mixing a $200,000 classic

 with modern traffic. As there is no engine up front, the

cabin is airy and very cool, even in thehigh 30s of a Brisbane summer day, butthe recalcitrant gearbox, ‘Oh my God!’

brakes and ‘peeking-through-venetian-blinds’ rear view are features to really make you sweat.

This, combined with a steering wheelon the left and an indicator switch onthe dash that flings the ‘floppy-eared dog’ambers out of their B-pillar alcoves, makesfor a challenging driving experience.

First gear is a short ‘mountain’ ratio,making it possible to take off in secondas the torque available is enough to pullaway cleanly.

The long wheelbase and high-profiletyres combine to give the T87 a decentride around town and some body roll in

corners but not to the extent you wouldexpect from a pre-war design.

The clutch isn’t all that heavy andonce up and running the T87 keeps up

 with traffic easily – its fantastic, but busy engine note reminding you that the Tatra

is something very special. The sound is aneclectic mix of small block American V8rumble overlaid with a cooling fan whirreminiscent of a 964 or 993 Porsche 911.

It’s the mating of two truly great engineideas in one package. Give the engine arev and it sounds muscular, despite its

small (for a V8) cubic capacity. The meaty throb coupled with the whoosh of thetwin cooling fans makes for an unusually addictive aural signature.

 As incredible as the history of the T87is – from the airship-inspired design to

RIghT spare wheel mounted aboveenormou oil cooler under bonnet 

fAR RIghT  Ahead o it time. Centreheadlight wivelled with the teering on

earlier Tatra but wa dropped or the T87

AbOvE Crazy doral fn may have aidedtraightline tability, but not the T87’ overteer

bElOW (l-R) Compact V8 make 75hp;cooling louvre work counter-intuitively and arecloed in the heat and open when cold

the tatra t87 mates two truly greatengIne Ideas In one PaCkage

Ledwinka’s engineering acumen to therole of Hitler and Porsche in the history of Tatra – all is overshadowed by the sight

and sound of that dolphin-finned rear endsquatting under acceleration as the T87cuts a swathe through 2011. Communismhas never looked so cool.

AbOvE Profle demontrate the extent o the T87’ unique deign – uicide ront door,‘trafcator’ in the B-pillar and an extremely long wheelbae or unrivalled interior pace

fAST fACTStatra t87

ENgINE 2970cc r-c V8, SohC,

16v, w crrrs

POWER 55kW @ 3500rpm

gEARbOx 4-sp m

SuSPENSION yrc scks, c sprgs

(); yrc scks, cvr sprgs (r)

bRAkES scs ( &r)

WEIghT 1370kg

TOP SPEEd 161km/ (cm)