Now, to really understand this fine automobile, you have to watch a bit of Rodeocross racing. Rodeocross appears to be what Czech rednecks do when they mix beer, a dirt road course, beer, Warsaw Pact cars, beer, and beer. The Tatrabant was originally built for Rodeocross, but the organizers wouldn't let it race… because it was "too dangerous." Yesssss!


[Sportovnivozy.cz]

[Jay Leno's Garage]

When I saw it, I thought it was an April Fool's joke, even though it was April 2nd already. When I saw it again, and again, on other websites, I thought it was a really good April Fool's joke, so good that even fellow journalists got caught. When I saw it in the newspaper and finally in the evening news, I knew it must be The April Fool's Joke of the decade. Because, unlike the news about Oldsmobile being bought by Toyota and going back in business, Jag XF-C or dog-pee-proof BMW wheels, this one seems to be true.

What the hell am I talking about, you ask? I am talking about the thing that electrified the whole Czech motoring media in last 24 hours. Tatra, as a manufacturer of passenger cars, returns!

In the recent interview for Czech newspaper Hospodarske Noviny, Tatra's main shareholder and CEO, Ronald Adams, stated that Tatra he wants to bring back Tatras of the past as retro automobiles. According to his words, the company is overwhelmed with inquiries about new passenger cars and he wants to capitalize the good name of the company. What he's planning is to take two or three historic models of Tatra (probably 87, Tatraplan and 603) and produce them as retro cars, based on modern chassis and drivetrains from some big manufacturer, "like Skoda, Ford or Subaru", which, as Adams says, can also handle the servicing. The production should begin in 2009 or 2010 and Adams thinks he'll be able to sell several hundred per year.
It must be said that its pretty ambitious plan, not only for obvious technical difficulties, but also because Tatra is busy enough doing its main business- building heavy trucks, mostly for military use. On the other hand, recent successes in this field suggest that Mr. Adams knows what he's doing. Let's wish him well and dream about a Subaru-flat-four powered, rear engined Tatraplan... [Hospodarske Noviny]

From today's Faurecia press kit post, here's what Harumph had to say:

this car will unfortunately never make it to the u.s. because it greatly exceeds the government's limits on how interesting the cars sold here can be.

Press Release

Los Angeles, Nov. 14, 2007

Faurecia launches "Premium Attitude": added-value for automakers through design, innovation and engineering

Faurecia's new Premium Attitude concept car reveals the next generation of interior innovations available to automakers. Far from a flight of fancy, Premium Attitude displays Faurecia's ability to create new design innovations and integrate them into highly feasible engineering solutions within one car.

Faurecia is a global specialist in six major modules, including seats, doors, cockpits, acoustic packages, front ends and exhaust systems. Faurecia is committed to innovation and premium, creating design freedom for its customers through end-user understanding, technology integration, and production expertise. This new complete-value-chain approach accounts for the economic reality of the business in which both the costs and risks incurred by innovation must be managed appropriately. In a growing premium market, Faurecia shows that premium products are possible in any style of vehicle.

The premium trend
"The idea of premium is the single biggest trend to be sweeping the automotive market at the moment," explains Jacques Mauge, Faurecia's Executive Vice President of Group Customer Development. "Automakers are well aware of this. They are seeking to differentiate their vehicles through the notion of premium. Consumers today want much more than utility and function out of their vehicles. They also want pleasure and status. They want an experience."
Premium is one of the fastest growing market segments worldwide. In 2006, premium vehicle sales accounted for two million units in North America and more than 2.5 million in Western Europe. By 2019, this segment is predicted to grow to nearer three million in North America and close to 3.5 million in Western Europe.

Faurecia's answer: Premium Attitude
Faurecia covers all automotive market segments but "premium" is a quality that can be found in all vehicle segments. It is desirable but affordable and can be mass-produced. Premium should always represent "good taste", be well designed, constructed with high quality materials, exceptional craftsmanship and perceived quality.
But premium can be cost-effective. It is about intelligent product design, fine execution and an obsession for detail. It does not necessarily have to come at a cost. As a leading Tier 1 supplier, Faurecia is a driving force in creating new architecture giving design freedom to the automakers, and then turning their conception of premium into an industrial reality. Once a product is industrialized, Faurecia has the capability to mass-produce it with a consistency already respected by global automakers worldwide.
Ten key innovative technologies are revealed on the Faurecia Premium Attitude concept car, ranging from production-ready features that could be utilized today, to production-feasible solutions for the near future. These innovations have been built around three key directions:

1.
Intelligent product design and user interaction

2.
Magic experience and surprise in use

3.
Obsession for detail

Sharing Faurecia's vision of the future
All innovations featured here illustrate how Faurecia is able to combine its extensive design and engineering expertise to offer a new level of "premium" values which automakers' designers can then utilize in their creative visions for new products. As Faurecia's Industrial Design Vice President Andreas Wlasak puts it: "This is the first ever concept to bring all of Faurecia's disciplines into play. But it is not just a catalogue of features; it is an integrated statement of market understanding, product innovation and development competencies within a full-size concept car."

Faurecia's strategy - based on component platforms where invisible parts are standardized as much as possible - opens space and design freedom for automakers. By presenting a full vehicle concept, Faurecia is able to demonstrate its design and engineering expertise across its six product lines in a vehicle environment, as the end-user would experience it. Each innovation can be appreciated in its context.
Anticipating user needs and creating a dialogue with automakers

The Premium Attitude concept car is aimed at starting new dialogue with automakers' design, product planning and senior management departments before new vehicle projects are started. As Philippe Aumont, Vice President of Product Planning stresses: "Our concept is not trying to compete with our clients, but to act as an enabler of joint innovation development." The Tatra's classic sedan silhouette was chosen as the basis for the Premium Attitude because it offers a very similar interior space to a modern Mercedes-Benz E-Class, BMW 5 Series or Audi A6, and shows that such vehicle body types can still compete in terms of versatility and premium space, when developed intelligently. Furthermore, Premium Attitude emphasizes the increasing importance of vehicle interiors to offer more differentiation in an ever more fragmented automotive market.

This concept car is also a truly international project, encompassing Faurecia teams from France, the United States and Germany and involving Faurecia's expertise in the fields of industrial design, product planning, research & development and engineering.

For more details on Premium Attitude, download the complete press kit and photos from:
www.faurecia.com/press

Faurecia is one of the world's leading automotive equipment suppliers, specializing in six major vehicle modules: seats, cockpits, doors, acoustic packages, front ends and exhaust systems. In 2006, the Group posted sales of €11.6 billion. It has operations in 28 countries and employs 60,000 people at its 190 sites. Faurecia is listed on the Euronext-Paris Eurolist market.

Well, I have to say that it was kind of extraordinary afternoon. A week after picking up my new '68 Coronet in the port of Bremerhaven, Germany, I finally got to the old part of airport, where I have the car stored, to fix a few things up and see how it drives. That alone, coupled with the fact that the beast drove much better than I expected from such a piece of junk, would be enough to make it one of the better days in my life. But there was more to come.
As if the first-drive-ever in my Mopar wasn't enough, I ran into a friend in a bar the night before. Nothing unusual, I have some friends and live in a small city with only a few bars. But, unfortunately, not all of my friends have such a great taste in automobiles and even less of them have means to transform it into reality. But Marek is one of them and he and his father have a really nice collection of old European cars. Including a beautifully restored Tatra 603. So, with the latest Tatra-craze on Jalopnik in mind, I saw an opportunity and asked him to come see me and my new toy on the airport next day. And as you see from pictures, he agreed.
I think that for me, as a driver, it was even more interesting experience than a first drive in my Coronet. However it may seem strange, even though I am a Czech, I have driven a few Mopar B-bodies before, but to that day, I have never driven, nor sat in, a 603. I have driven one of the last 613s with 4.36 engine, but never tried anything older. So this was a big day for me, twice.
The car that was going to take me on my maiden voyage to the world of weird and eerie ass-engined limousines, was a 1965 Tatra 603, in typical commie big shot/secret police black paint job, but with the red interior and kind of hot-rod-esque red wheels. If there are some Tatra cognoscenti among you, you may point out that the car on the pictures does not look like a 603-2, which would be appropriate to the model year, but is more similar to the later 603-3. The reason is in the way they were maintained and rebuilt. Unlike the usual working-man's Skodas, constantly patched by their owners to keep them alive as long as possible, these big black beasts that served „the more equal ones" and their dogs were just sent to factory for an overhaul after some time. So when this car went through it's reincarnation in the beginning of the 70s, it became something more akin to then-modern 603-3 than the 603-2 that it was born as.
I'm not going to waste space by talking about outlandish appearance of this car - that's what pictures are for, and besides I can't quite grasp how strange this car must look for someone not used to seeing that (though rarely) for entire life. And parked besides the Coronet it even doesn't look as big as it does on average Czech street.
But we are here not just to stare at the peculiar shape of the car and discuss whether it looks more like a Tucker or a V8 VW. You can do that in museum. We are here to drive. First, Marek takes us for a quick ride around the place (a old, unused part of military airbase, with hangars turned into warehouses), and then I'll get a chance to drive it myself. When you get in, you feel much like in average American car of the era. High, upright bench seat for three in front (not many European cars seated six people), the overall style of the thing... even the V8 rumble resembles American cars, but with some influence of its air-cooled cousins from Wolfsburg and Stuttgart. But when it comes to driving experience, it's very different - and I think it's very different from anything but other Tatras. What strikes you first is how different the ways of technical development were. In US car of same era (I consider 603 a fifties car, even though it was produced also in next two decades) you get everything to make you more comfortable - power windows, power steering and several other toys, but it was common to have non-power brakes and hardly any car had more than three speed gearbox. But this thing is more like an oversized Porsche. The steering is manual and the wheel is a bit heavy, but thanks to light front it's not that big issue and it's weight and feel maybe even helps to protect you from the effect of oversteer. In fact, it didn't feel vicious at all, even when taking turns a bit harder (but I didn't have a chance to drive it on public road - and I was trying not to scare the owner) and for such an old car it handled really nicely. But the real surprise was braking. Granted, this car got power disc brakes in all four corners when it was overhauled, so I don't know how the original model behaved, but the experience of driving an old car with manual steering, but braking performance as good as average new car is still strange.
And when we're speaking about comparison with new car, this beast can surprise even with it's speed. One would say that 2.5 liter, 100hp V8 in such a big car would make for some lazy driving, but that's when you don't take weight and aerodynamics into consideration. Though 603 is roughly the size of an S-klasse Merc, it's only a bit heavier than current model VW Jetta. And when you add some slippery shape and four-speed manual, you'll get some pretty funny looks of drivers overtaken by this black whale, doing nearly 100mph. And, according to its master, this car is even quite good for (European) highway cruising and is able to do more than 110mph.
Only real downside is the gearbox with column mounted shifter. It's beautifully light and delicate, but it lacks accuracy and when you're not careful enough, you can easily break it. And as Marek says, adjusting the mechanism behind it is really a royal pain.
Which is where we come to the greatest nightmare of everyone who thinks about getting a Tatra. The maintenance. As I learned from Marek, my fears from unobtainium-made parts were unnecessary. He told me that you can still get just about everything for these cars, although it probably means knowing where to go and what to ask for. And being in Czech Republic and able to speak our language is certainly a bit of advantage...
Either way, this close encounter further cemented my decision that one day, I must get one of these fantastic creatures. The sound, the driving experience, the history of the car, all its charisma makes the urge to get one real, real hard. And the best of them all would be the orange, racing spec Marathon version. Or at least clone...
Hell, I think I should take a look at the one from the PCH a few weeks ago...

Many thanks, BobAsh! You can check out the complete collection of photos in his Picasa album, in case the gallery below isn't enough Tatra for you. And anyone willing to give him a deal on late-60s Chrysler B-body parts, let us know- they're a bit hard to come by in the Czech Republic!

You just know any nation that considers Frank Zappa the greatest American who ever lived is going to produce some seriously cool cars, and the Czechs don't disappoint with the Tatra 603. Face it, no car freak worth his or her salt can resist a machine with a rear-mounted, air-cooled, hemi-head V8. And for just 60,000 CZK (about $3000), you could have this '71! Since these cars were available only to Commie officials, the bureacracy figured they'd just issue new ones every few years; hence, no rust-proofing! But you're in luck here- maybe- because this Tatra's seller claims the body is in good shape. The brakes, not so good, but don't worry- brake parts should be easy to find (well, actually, Bobash says they're made from pure Unobtanium even in the Czech Republic). But it runs! It drives! It comes with spare doors and an extra brake booster!

For those who want to go Czech with their rides but feel the legacy of oppressive Iron Curtain secret-police bureaucrats is just too much taint on the Tatra, how about a nice '57 Skoda 1201? It's priced to move at a mere 35,000 CZK ($1750), leaving you enough money left over to get staggeringly drunk on quality Czech beer... which you'll probably feel like doing once you realize that even the most insignificant components are going to require fabrication from scratch back in the USA. But banish such thoughts! The seller doesn't waste our time with excessive description; all we get is "I sell a 1957 Skoda 1201, with title." There's probably rust. It probably doesn't run. But so what? With its mighty 45-horse 1221cc engine, this was not only the car of choice for Czechoslovakian traffic cops but the biggest car the common man could buy back in the day. Imagine this thing slammed down low, with big fat tires and a Tatra V8! Stastnou Cestu!

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Snow can't stop you! Cops can't stop you! Nothing can stop the mighty Tatra 603! Stastnou Cestu! You know a country that tried to make Frank Zappa an official in its post-Iron-Curtain government (stinkin' James Baker hosed that plan, though) is gonna make good cars, eh?

We're not exactly why we're so stoked that we found this. But we're happy as clams to have found it. It being the official homepage of Czech truck manufacturer Tatra. Of course, Tatra used to make totally rad, weird cars that were favored by Nazis during the Second World War. They also used to die in them fairly often, due to the cars' tricky handling. Now they've limted themselves to medium and heavy trucks for military and civilian use, are American-owned, and if they know what's good for them, should build a damn El Camino and sell it over here.

Tatra, a.s.

Related:
You Meet the Looniest People on a Tatra [Internal]

Andy Takakjian is a lunatic. He is also president of the Los Feliz Lions Club and inventor of the Starion A6M7. And frankly, this is the sort of vehicle that only an Angeleno Lions Club president could come up with. The AK750, the world's only Tatra motorcycle. Except that it's not. It's actually (shhhh) a Honda CB750 Automatic converted to manual duty and spruced up with Euro plates, a swap-meet sidecar and Tatra badges made by a man named Ray who has been known to drink much beer and then mountain-bike down very steep inclines. This is on our list of our top five motorcycles we've met, ever. Everyone smiles when they see it.

Related:
Sweet Mother of Merlin! V-Twin Aero-Engine Bike [Internal]