BobAsh Road Tests the 1965 Tatra 603 - Jalopnik Comments

BobAsh Road Tests the 1965 Tatra 603

Shapeshifter — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 13:12:29 EDT

So wonderful... And i love how Tatra somehow managed to be forty years ahead of everyone else with their aerodynamics. (At least, as i understand it--i'm not Tatra expert.)

Shapeshifter

BobAsh Road Tests the 1965 Tatra 603

2trips — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 00:34:34 EDT

603 = pure sex

2trips

BobAsh Road Tests the 1965 Tatra 603

nonns — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 23:06:43 EDT

THey lost their way in he 60's...these 50's cars are when Tatra really had it going on!

nonns

BobAsh Road Tests the 1965 Tatra 603

NovaloadMissesPolar — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 22:23:26 EDT

It's beautiful but it's so confusing! Tucker in the back, 50's ford pick up in front with that pinched face and headlights crammed in the grill. Or is that Rambler in the front--yes, 57 rebel--that's closer--and WTF in the back?

NovaloadMissesPolar

BobAsh Road Tests the 1965 Tatra 603

bobash — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 20:32:00 EDT

P.S.:
Caslav is less than 30 miles from Pardubice where I live, I know that town a bit...

bobash

BobAsh Road Tests the 1965 Tatra 603

bobash — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 20:30:53 EDT

@Littlecarrot:
I don't think I'd be able to make a fortune on them. They're not exactly cheap even around here and they're quite rare.

But if anyone really desperately needs one, I can offer my help with export - if you promise that you will take good care of it :)

bobash

BobAsh Road Tests the 1965 Tatra 603

bobash — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 20:19:26 EDT

@crevans:
Yes, anyone who attempts to swap a Chevy engine in a Tatra should be taken out and shot without the trial.

Only thing that's allowed to replace a Tatra engine in the arse of a Tatra is another Tatra engine. Preferably the 4.36 with Porsche pistons from last 613s and 700s.

Actually I'd love to build race-603 replica with this engine...

bobash

BobAsh Road Tests the 1965 Tatra 603

crevans — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 20:07:41 EDT

@Mrb00st:
Your bourgeois and decadent notion of mounting imperial capitalist pig motor is treason, komrade.

crevans

BobAsh Road Tests the 1965 Tatra 603

TexanIdiot25 could use some of that bail out money — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 18:17:32 EDT

@Murilee Martin: Duh, put this air cooled V8 into the air cooled VW Bug!

Think of the mega hooning. If you havent seen the bog block Bug on youtube, you best search quick. Its a beast.

TexanIdiot25 could use some of that bail out money

BobAsh Road Tests the 1965 Tatra 603

Littlecarrot — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 18:11:26 EDT

Bobash--you could make a fortune selling these to
eager US customers. My family comes from Caslav, where there is also an airbase.

Littlecarrot

BobAsh Road Tests the 1965 Tatra 603

UDMan — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 17:54:01 EDT

I never thought I'd want one of these so badly. The Shape, The Rear Engine, The Red Interior, The 4 Speed on the column, everything about it.

I know a lot of you guys would never vote this into the JFG. Well, get rid of the RUF, and vote this in. Great job in sharing this gem BobAsh. Try and report on some more iron curtain cars of the past if you could.

UDMan

BobAsh Road Tests the 1965 Tatra 603

Charles_Barrett - Now with Variable-Valve Timing — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 16:52:59 EDT

Wow, talk about an incentive for making it big in Communist-era politics...! Discounting purges, gulags, and the like, of course. Thank you BobAsh for a terrific write-up and gorgeous photos. May your Coronet bring you much joy and pleasure. Keep us Jalops posted!

Charles_Barrett - Now with Variable-Valve Timing

BobAsh Road Tests the 1965 Tatra 603

Tomsk the red-nosed reindeer — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 16:39:12 EDT

@Murilee Martin: You couldn't.

And this baby needs a JFG nomination. I don't suppose we could call for a special election?

Tomsk the red-nosed reindeer

BobAsh Road Tests the 1965 Tatra 603

lanispet — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 16:32:35 EDT

@Mrb00st: REPLACE an oddball air-cooled V-8 with a Generic Motors lump? THOUGHTCRIME! A comrade with State Security will by shortly to assist with your re-education.

Excellent work, BobAsh! Thanks for sharing.

lanispet

BobAsh Road Tests the 1965 Tatra 603

Murilee Martin — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 16:17:43 EDT

@Mrb00st: Normally, I'm all for LS1-izing just about anything... but how could you possibly bring yourself to tear an air-cooled, rear-mounted, hemi-head V8 out of a car?

Murilee Martin

BobAsh Road Tests the 1965 Tatra 603

Mrb00st — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 15:43:13 EDT

i see such potential for LS1 hoonage in this car it's just making me violently ill.

Mrb00st

BobAsh Road Tests the 1965 Tatra 603

Mad_Science — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 15:31:22 EDT

God, I love this website.

Where else are you going to find content like this? Nowhere. That's where.

Mad_Science

BobAsh Road Tests the 1965 Tatra 603

akirachan — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 14:59:36 EDT

Great review! So looks like Tatra was the first to come out with the Porsche Panamera concept back in the '50s, but did it justice.

akirachan

BobAsh Road Tests the 1965 Tatra 603

stu-rock — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 14:52:28 EDT

Fantastic—Bobash, thank you! That made my day.

This car really captures the optimism on the other side of the Iron Curtain in the early days of the Bloc, before the bleakness set in.

Is this car in the JFG yet?

@superbad: Well said.

stu-rock

BobAsh Road Tests the 1965 Tatra 603

bobash — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 14:29:04 EDT

@mxrz:
The pictures were taken on Pardubice airport/military airbase (both purposes in one...).

bobash

BobAsh Road Tests the 1965 Tatra 603

bobash — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 14:21:14 EDT

@brandegee:
1) Yes, they're shift points and yes, it's a four-speed (I mentioned it above).
2) I think all earlier Tatras had left-side ignition (up to 613, which had it on right side). I'm not sure about the reason, but it was certainly not because of racing - my '59 Skoda Octavia also had left-side ignition and it definitely wasnt a racecar :)

bobash

BobAsh Road Tests the 1965 Tatra 603

HoubaHouba! — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 14:13:52 EDT

A most excellent feature!

I nominate BobAsh for Commentator of the Year with oak leaf clusters. And also would like to see him as a regular, he's got a good writing style and takes fine photos.

HoubaHouba!

BobAsh Road Tests the 1965 Tatra 603

superbad — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 13:28:12 EDT

I came really close to picking one of these up on Ebay a few years ago. Such a cool car. Makes you miss the days before everything was so well optimized, when companies could still try crazy shit- like rear mounted air cooled V8s- and sill end up with a relatively competitive car.

superbad

BobAsh Road Tests the 1965 Tatra 603

brandegee — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 13:01:57 EDT

Nicely done, BobAsh. Two questions:
1) What are the red Roman numerals on the speedo? If they are shift points that would indicate this is a 4-spd car.
2) Do all Tatras have a left-side ignition? Porsche supposedly put theirs on that side in the 50s to help with a Le Mans start. I don't suppose anyone's ever fielded at Tatra at the 24 heures.

brandegee

BobAsh Road Tests the 1965 Tatra 603

Rust-MyEnemy is stll out there! — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 12:51:13 EDT

One for the archives. Thanks Bob. I'd like to meet a guy called Tim Bishop who was responsible for importing some of the last 613/4s into Britain during the mid 90s. I know it doesn't have the bullet train styling of the 603, but I still need one....

Rust-MyEnemy is stll out there!

BobAsh Road Tests the 1965 Tatra 603

dulcamara — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 12:35:22 EDT

Great report. Thanks.

dulcamara

BobAsh Road Tests the 1965 Tatra 603

snarktastic — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 12:19:16 EDT

I would love to hear what this engine sounds like... sound file?

snarktastic

BobAsh Road Tests the 1965 Tatra 603

TPSreports — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 12:19:14 EDT

Looks like the bastard offspring of the mating of a mid 60s Plymouth Barracuda and one of those funny looking Citroens.

TPSreports

BobAsh Road Tests the 1965 Tatra 603

bmoredlj — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 12:05:45 EDT

Congrats...you did a much, much better job photographing this car than GM did photographing all of their SEMA cars.

bmoredlj

BobAsh Road Tests the 1965 Tatra 603

Paul Y. can't think of a better, shorter handle — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 12:04:29 EDT

Amazing car, and a good write-up.

Paul Y. can't think of a better, shorter handle

BobAsh Road Tests the 1965 Tatra 603

TinaChow — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 11:54:33 EDT

The Paulina Porizkova of automobiles. Beauty in a non-conventional sense.

And once the passion in the relationship has died, she is still a non-stop source of brilliant conversation and the envious stares of passers-by.

TinaChow

BobAsh Road Tests the 1965 Tatra 603

Pete Gaines — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 11:52:54 EDT

Also:

They have pine tree air fresheners (WUNDER-BAUM!) in Europa? Sweet.

Pete Gaines

BobAsh Road Tests the 1965 Tatra 603

mxrz — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 11:52:52 EDT

bobash, what's the name of that military airbase?

mxrz

BobAsh Road Tests the 1965 Tatra 603

Pete Gaines — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 11:51:24 EDT

BobAsh for President!

Phenomenal work.

Pete Gaines

BobAsh Road Tests the 1965 Tatra 603

X-Zambian — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 11:44:33 EDT

Oh wow.
I sooo want one of these beauties.

X-Zambian