Tatraplan
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| Tatra 600 / Tatraplan | |
|---|---|
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| Manufacturer | Tatra, a. s. |
| Production | 1946 – 1952 6,342 built |
| Assembly | Kopřivnice till 1951 Mlada Boleslav (Skoda plant) after 1951 |
| Predecessor | Tatra T97 |
| Successor | Tatra T603 |
| Body style(s) | 4 door saloon |
| Layout | RR layout |
| Engine(s) | 1950 cc Flat-4 |
| Transmission(s) | 4 speed manual[1] |
| Wheelbase | 2700 mm (106.3 in) |
| Length | 4540 mm (178.7 in) |
| Designer | Josef Chalupa Vladimír Popelář Hans Ledwinka. |
Tatraplan was the name given to the Tatra T600 automobile.
Post World War II, Tatras continued to be built; the factory was nationalised in 1946 after the Communist takeover. Although production of prewar models continued, a new model, the Tatra T600 Tatraplan was designed in 1946-47 by Josef Chalupa, Vladimír Popelář and Hans Ledwinka. The name of the car celebrated the new Communist planned economy. After two prototypes 'Ambrož' (December 1946) and 'Josef' (March 1947) it went into mass production in 1948. In 1951, the state planning department decided that the Tatraplan should henceforth be built at the Skoda Auto plant in Mlada Boleslav, leaving Tatra to concentrate on truck assembly. This was quite unpopular with the workforce at both plants: as a result Skoda built Tatraplans for one year only before the model was discontinued in 1952.
The Tatraplan had a monocoque streamlined six-seater saloon body with a Cd of just 0.32. It was powered by an air-cooled flat 4 cylinder 1,952 cc rear engine. 6,342 were made, 2,100 of them in Mlada Boleslav.
[edit] Sources and further reading
- ^ Gloor, Roger (1. Auflage 2007). Alle Autos der 50er Jahre 1945 - 1960. Stuttgart: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 978-3-613-02808-1.
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