Tatra Spotting

TATRA SPOTTING

Sue from Denver, Colorado (July 2007): Hi Mike, I liked your website. I might name a new dog after the Tatra, I like the name. Cool car.

This 1947 T87 Tatra is in Author Clive Cussler’s car collection.

My cousin visited us from his home in Detroit. The motorhead cousin loved this fabulous collection, which until recently, was only available through appointment. The family did not mind pictures being taken and this Tatra was one of my favorites. I had never heard of this automobile maker until seeing this beauty. Thanks for a great day!

Miro from Slovakia (January 2006):Hello Mike, I writing to you from Slovakia.I must tell you, your web page is very nice. I'm fond of Tatras cars. I send you some photos T603 car in very bad conditions but its the model T603-1 1962. 30 years was this car in the garden. My favorite car is T87, my father has this car, but in Slovakia is problem buy this car in normal and realistic prices. Best regards Miro Dosek

Danny Barnett from Las Vegas (April, 2005): It wasn't until 1984 that the opportunity presented itself to finally own one. The 1966 2-603 I eventually bought was advertised in Hemmings, and it was in good running condition, and further was in Prescott, Arizona, close by!!!!! I procrastinated in calling, having 2 car projects in the works at the time, and as fate would have it the car showed up in Las Vegas, at the Kruse Auction a few months later. There was a $5,000.00 reserve on the car, which did indeed run well, but needed everything else. The bidding ended with a high of just $1,850.00, and I followed out into the parking lot, and made a deal with the owner. He would take $2,500.00 cash, so I bought it! I did the paint, chrome, upholstery, and was able to locate new plastic lenses, and emblems in Germany, and through Evo Slezak. The car was great fun from the beginning, it has always been the center of attention at car shows here in Vegas.

Ivan from Bratislava (July, 2003): O.K., some technical data:

TATRA 613 E
built in 1986 TATRA Koprivnice
Czech Republic (formerly Czechoslovakia)
Engine is big 3.500 ccm
Engine power 128 KW (cca. 190 HP)
air cooled, 8 cylinder in "V"
max.speed until 200 Km/h
Consumption from 12 l until 16 l / 100 km
car has 370.000 km
Engine renewed, has only 60.000 km

for more information see:
www.tatraclub.at
www.tatraklub.sk - abbrevation "TAKS" = (Tatra Auto Klub Slovakia)

Ivan from Bratislava (June, 2003): Nice greetings from central Europe!
I've found Your Web's, very interesting.

I have read the Adds, but...Do You have more information about e-mail of jtkid@aol.com ? There is no respond....

And I send You also Foto of my vehicles: (T613 is not mine, but in 2 weeks I'll have one like that!) Next time more Information...

Don from Colorado (May, 2003): Don put his 1964 T603/2 up for sale earlier this month and reports a pending sale to the National Czech and Slovak Museum.

This car received fresh running gear at the factory in 1973.

(Above)

Eddie from England (May, 2003): Hello from (Olde) England ! Here's a pic for your archives of the T613-5 which we developed over here some few years ago, to not much acclaim and less commercial success ! It was the T613 with power steering, climate control, body-kit, suspension reset, sequential fuel injection, full Pan-European type approval and 220 BHP. It drove and handled like a Lotus and enjoyed the ride quality of a Jaguar. Mind you, the Czechs designed and built a five-speed gearbox and that was a blooming nightmare .......mind you it only took them a couple of weeks to create it ! My claim to fame is when I drove that very car back to the center of the UK, our HQ at Fosters Booth, from Pribor in a little over 24 hours. I have to admit to exceeding the various national speed limits by several factors..........but I got home for Christmas. Just in case I didn't make it clear, our car led on to the finale, T700 that was the final fling for the car division of Tatra. An English eccentric by the name of Tim Bishop was the leading light for the whole project, but we were typical engineers, not typical businessmen.

(Above)

.............I just dragged this out of m'archives in case you didn't already have a picture of one ! I found your site and the business you run absolutely delightful, well done and good luck ! Yours, Eddie Stevenson-Kaatsch.

PS: When you visit the Czech Republic, don't forget to vist the fantastic museum at Pribor and try to get them to play you some of their archive footage too !

Germany: Joe Kruempelbeck's T600

Joe and his T600. How well does that heater work Joe?

Another photo of Joe's good-looking T600.

Gary Cullen with his "new" T87 summer 2000

John Long and his T87 summer 2000 (great photo)

John Long with his T87 at the Arctic Circle summer 2000

John Long with his T87, Yukon/Northwest Territories border 08-10-00!

John Long has done up a great website on this journey - go to my links page for a description of the site and the hyperlink. (Mike's Links).

(Above)

Brian from British Columbia (October, 2000): Hi Mike, I live in Victoria, BC, Canada. I remember when I was a kid in West Vancouver, BC, there was a Tatraplan owned by somebody in our neighborhood. We all thought it was a wonderfully weird-looking car. I haven't thought about that Tatra until yesterday, when a friend and I were going to Starbuck's for coffee. Parked at the curb was an 1947 Tatra T87 in absolutely mint condition! I recognized it as a Tatra immediately, but got the year and model number from a small info sheet attached to the left rear side window.

What was wonderful to behold was that it had Ontario license plates -- not vintage or collector plates, but standard road plates. That meant that someone had driven that baby over 3000 km from home!

I love your site -- thank you for your effort. It's wonderful to know that you, and so many others, recognize the beauty in these tremendous cars. -- Cheers, Brian

Gary from British Columbia (October, 2000): Hi Mike, That was John Longs car, he left it in Victoria with his mother for the winter after our Yukon/Alaska trip. He was in Victoria a week or so ago and was using the car. You might want to tell Brian that John drove the car to Inuvik in the NWT, 200+ miles north of the Arctic Circle! I think his total for the drive from Toronto to Alaska to Victoria is at just over 10,000 miles. The guy in West Van that Brian refers to was probably Mike Seal, he used to live there and actually raced T600's at a local track. He had several Tatras in the 50's and 60's. He's now working (maybe retired) at Western Washington University in Bellingham WA. John Minni used to tell me about him, I have spoken to Seal but never met him. Gary

(Above)

This 1938 T77a Tatra, located in Russia, was up for sale in mid 2000. Chassis# 35719, Engine# 201742, Color: ivory. All original parts with original body, upholstery and engine.

Paul Schilperoord reports that it has been sold. He hopes to track progress of the restoration on his website (The International Streamlined Tatra Site).

(Above) Tom from Florida (June, 2000): mike, I didn't know what this car was until I searched tatra on the internet. I spied it one day on my way to work and stopped to take pictures of it. Now i realize that it's a pretty valuable little foreign car. This particular one was in Madeira Beach Florida parked by the roadside probably in need of a rollback to rescue it. I apologize for the picture quality, but all I had to work with was my 110 underwater camera. I was also pretty early in the morning and the light wasn't really co-operating. this car certainly was very clean and painted kind of a metallic turquoise/mint green color. thought you might get a kick out of my pics.............ttinker [I own a '67 coronet r/t that's in nice shape, so I guess that I'm a car buff no matter what the subject matter is............]

Alain from Florida (October, 2000): Hi Mike, I am the Guy with the T 87 in Madeira Beach. I was going to work in the morning. I do not remember what was happening but I fixed it and was back on the road. The picture was presumably taken when I was placing a phone call. Who is Tom ?, He should live not far from my house. Could you give me his E-Mail or give him my phone number. Have several Tatras, T 87, T 600 and T 603. They are all running (when Tom is not watching) and we restore a small truck T 26/30. Congratulations for your site.

(Above) Otto from Texas (May, 2000): Hi Mike. Just checked your Tatra page. What a great job you've done on this unique automobile. I have to tell you this story. In the seventies I worked in an imported sports car garage here in Houston and one of our customer upon learning I was born in Prague tells me about Tatras in Texas. This guy teaches military history in Keileen, Texas, near Austin, was born there, attended school and military training at one of those Air Force bases there. Now he tells me that after the W.W.II the US forces brought about fifty Tatras back to Texas and used those on and around the Air Force base until middle of the fifties.

That got me thinking, there must be some of those still somewhere in the junkyards in that area. Never forgot this and several years later, while working for another company, in 1987, in April issue of Road & Track magazine, there is a feature article by Ray Thursby on Tatra 87. Seven pages, color photographs and all. I still have this issue. A month later, in May issue, there is an ad in classified section. Tatra 87, just like the one featured in April issue in Road & Track, for sell in San Antonio area.

What a coincident? Is this one of those from the military loot? I called the guy and he happen to have this Tatra on his junkyard stored in a trailer for at least twenty years. He described it as nearly functional. Supposedly a personal car of general Romel. Yeah, sure! My interest didn't let me rest though and after some time I set out to check out this Tatra. I drove to San Antonio and sure enough, there it was. It wasn't anywhere near operational condition, lots of missing trim pieces, upholstery gone, some missing glass... Mechanically it looked like it was all there. The guy wanted $20,000. I took several pictures and wished him luck in finding somebody with twenty grand.

Now this is 13 years ago and a few month back I got curious again and wanted to check this Tatra again. Can't find the address though. Thought it could be an interesting story for someone like you. I am not an old car nut, well not exactly, I do own one old car, a 1966 Thunderbird, but that is an another story. If you'd be interested in the pictures, I can scan it and e-mail it to you. Good luck with the Tatras. They are a Beautiful automobiles. I owned one once. The Tatra 12. That was back in 1967 in Prague. With compliment to your efforts,

I grew up next to a Tatra Service facility in the fifties and sixties. As you know, those were the hard times. But we were just kids with our dreams. American cars played a large roles in those dreams and then there were the Tatras. Walking to school by these garages I would stop and watch the Tatra mechanics work on the cars and trucks right on the street. The most amazing thing was watching and hearing gunning the V12 air cooled engines of Tatra 111, a 6x6 10 ton trucks. The 87s and the 603s also had a distinctive engine sound. It was unlike any other car engine. These cars were not for the mortals though. Only for the commies. The story goes, the first 603 body design was about 6 inches lower; until the comrades checked them out. Their hats would fall, thus the taller car.

I checked one 603 for sale here in Dallas. Very nice. I am sure you know that car. Kenneth Ufheil has two of them. I'll see if I can find somebody interesting. There is plenty of Czechs living in this for A/C only car climate.

If you have spotted a Tatra (or even parts of one!) somewhere, I'd like to put it on this page. Send me details and scans. If you don't have a scanner, I'll scan your photos. Email me for mailing information.