Lot details
Registration No: HDV298D
Mot Expiry: None

First prototyped in 1955, the 603 only came into being because the Soviet Russian limousines which Czechoslovakia was promised as part of the Warsaw Pact didn't materialise. The Tatra factory had influential friends in Prague who lobbied hard for an indigenous design, and so the car went ahead using the motor from the four-wheel drive light army truck, the 805. Adhering to Tatra principles namely an air-cooled rear-mounted engine, independent suspension and space enough for coat-wearing burly chaps, the newcomer was shown all over the world, including New York. Examples began to pop up in capital cities everywhere as embassies received them to replace aging T600 Tatraplans. Czechoslovakia was so proud of its manufacturing tradition, that for 1960, a team of three 603s was entered on the Monte Carlo rally. Further competition entries took place, including wins on the Raid of Polish Folklore, and by 1967, a team win in the ultra-tough 84 hour long Marathon de la Route at the Nurburgring. These were rugged machines, with excellent engineering. As cars of the party elite, they were chauffeur driven, and the chauffeurs employed were engineering graduates who knew they had to both drive the cars and maintain and repair them. Sometimes they were lucky enough to be offered one for sale as it came out of government service. But in truth, many of these cars went back to the factory for upgrades and rebuilds, especially as they were often driven hard by young men, and crashes weren't uncommon - performance from the aluminium crank carriered, steel barrelled and alloy headed OHV V8 is on a par with a Mays-headed MKI Ford Zodiac.

This Haynes' example is described as being in "good overall" condition, and has been kept in the museum storeroom for a number of years. Consequent re-commissioning and localised renovation may be necessary, though a good sign is the presence of the sill drip mouldings - many cars have lost these now. But a generation after the fall of communism, and in this digital age, it is now far easier to get parts and information to repair these quirky cars. Values have risen dramatically in the car's home nations of Slovakia and Czech republic. Indeed, Czech classic mag TiPRO Oldtimer recently advised readers wanting to buy a 603 to focus on the West where prices are so much cheaper! The Tatra is a large car, redolent of historical times, handmade with style, panache, performance and genuine competition history and success - in effect Czechoslovakia's MK2 Jaguar.