Tatras 603

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Tatra Mountains
Tatra 2-603 II (model 69)
Tatra 2-603 II (model 69)
T603
Production period: 1956-1975
Class : Upper class
Body versions : limousine
Engines: Otto engine :
2.5 liters (70-77 kW)
Length: 4975 mm
Width: 1895 mm
Height: 1530 mm
Wheelbase : 2750 mm
Empty weight : 1470 kg
Previous model Tatra Mountains 87
successor Tatras 613
1: 1 scale model of the Tatra 603 (1955)
Tatra 603 of the first series
first series from the beginning

The Tatra 603 is a luxury car from the Czechoslovak automobile manufacturer Tatra . It was produced in three series from 1956 to 1975 and continued the tradition of streamlined design at Tatra, which went back to Hans Ledwinka . Another special feature was the air-cooled V8 engine in the rear of the car. Thus the Tatra 603 stood out clearly from other car models both technically and externally. As a representative upper-class vehicle , it was available to high-ranking people and organs of society in the Eastern Bloc through allocation. From 1956 to 1975, 20,422 copies were mostly made by hand. The successor to the T 603 was the Type 613 from 1974 .

history

prehistory

Once in 1951 with the T 600 of the cars had been set -Bau Tatra on government arrangement on to the work of military trucks to switch production, the advanced communist governance Czechoslovakia from this project again, as the country is a lack of representative vehicles. Since the few imported large Soviet sedans such as the GAZ-12 ZIM were unpopular because of their poor performance and, above all, the poor quality of workmanship at the beginning, the production of luxury cars was considered urgently necessary in Czechoslovakia. In addition, the government now also recognized that the construction of luxury cars was definitely a question of national prestige , and therefore in 1953 gave Tatra permission to produce new luxury cars.

development

Work on the new Tatra 603 began in the early 1950s in secret in a design office in Prague . During this time, construction of the first prototypes began. The government wanted a car with six seats and a V8 rear engine with a displacement of 3.6 liters within half a year. In 1954 and 1955 an MPV based on the Tatra 603 was designed under the name "Tatra 707", but never even realized as a prototype. Has developed a completely new large car with aerodynamic body , an air-cooled V - eight-cylinder -Engine in the rear (version 603F) with a displacement of (initially) 2545 cc, OHV - valve control and a power of 95 HP (73 kW). The model name Tatra 603 is derived from the engine type 603, which, unlike the newly designed body, was completely constructed in 1949. This new engine was - albeit modified accordingly - 1950 GP car Tatra 607 seater and 1951 in 601 Tatraplan Monte Carlo to missions in motorsport enters and therefore was considered a tried and tested. The T 603 was the last Tatra to have a streamlined body. It only had the basic principles in common with its predecessor T 87 ( air cooling , rear engine , rear drive , swing axle at the rear), but it was completely redesigned. The central fin on the rear of the car visible in the picture of the prototype from 1955, which distinguished the pre-war T 77 and T 87 models , was not taken over into series production. A stylistic feature are the air intake ducts required for air cooling, which are integrated into the rear wheel arches. A special feature of the first series (1955 to 1963) were the three main headlights of the same size behind a glass cover curved to match the shape of the body, which was chosen to optimize the body's aerodynamics.

Tatras 603

The car was presented to the public at home and abroad when series production began in 1956 and received an award in what was then West Germany for its modern lines. The initially 95 and later 105 hp engine accelerated the big car to up to 165 km / h (first series 170 km / h), which was not least made possible by the streamlined body. Since 1962 a new engine version has been installed (603G), which had a slightly smaller displacement to 2474 cm³, but an increase of 10 hp. Despite the rear drive set, the Tatra 603 had a largely even weight distribution (53% vehicle mass on the rear axle).

Tatra 603-2 or Tatra 2-603

Tatra 2-603 in Rostock , 1969

In 1963 the car was modernized to the type 2-603 (also type 603-2). The most noticeable change concerned the front of the vehicle, in which the front three main headlights behind the glass cover were replaced by four smaller, closely arranged headlights without additional cover. As a result, the front of the T 603 was somewhat jagged, which increased air resistance. The maximum speed specified at the factory was reduced by 5 km / h despite the increased power, but in test reports a maximum speed of more than 170 km / h was still stopped. The light output improved. The two inner headlights now served as additional high beam, which could be switched on to the high beam of the outer headlights if necessary. The middle headlight was used as a cornering light until then, but it caused space problems in the trunk, which was in the front, as the engine was located in the rear. The engine output was increased to 105 hp (at 4800 rpm), the torque was now 17 kpm at 4000 rpm. Measures were also taken to improve the driving characteristics (reduction of the wheel camber on the rear axle, different tires). Further minor optical retouches on the body followed. The instrument panel was also modernized and the steering wheel now had a lower hub. A continuous bench was still used at the front, but it was now simply divided and could be completely folded down to make a bed. The upholstery was very soft. While the 603 still came without a windscreen washer system and headlight flasher, the 2-602 now had this equipment.

Tatra 603-3 or Tatra 2-603 model 1969

Tatra 2-603 II or model '69

Another revision followed in 1968, with a new and more stable engine version (603H) being installed and the four headlights being moved a little further outwards. This version should be called Tatra 3-603. Because of the high financial costs for the homologation , the official designation remained Tatra 2-603 (type 603-2). To distinguish it, however, the car was often referred to as the Tatra 603-2 model 1969 . Again, minor changes were made to the body. Most noticeable were the front, the chrome strips on the side (now arranged continuously and set higher) and the new, simplified hubcaps that tapered to a point in the middle instead of the previously arched ones. Production of the T 603 ended in 1975 after the more modern and more powerful successor 613 had been manufactured for a year .

A total of 20,422 copies of the Tatra 603 have been handcrafted “in series” in twenty years; This makes it the most frequently produced type of passenger car in Tatra. The Tatra 603 was also the last passenger car produced in Kopřivnice. The assembly hall on the extensive Tatra site was demolished a few years later.

distribution

Tatra 2-603 II or model '69 in Lauscha , 1991. Still with GDR registration ( Frankfurt Oder district ).

The Tatra 603 was exported to numerous countries in the socialist economic area from the early 1960s . Mostly he was assigned to the appropriate persons and organs for official, representative purposes. In Czechoslovakia, these were senior officials of the Communist Party , senior state officials, directors of the larger state-owned companies, as well as authorities and Czechoslovak intelligence officers . The T 603 was also the state coach of Czechoslovakia and was available to members of the government and diplomats. However, the President was not chauffeured with this vehicle, but had GAZ drive him in stretched Soviet sedans . A few older copies were used as repainted emergency vehicles by fire service commanders . Copies withdrawn from civil service often ended up in private hands. Few of these were privately used as taxis in some towns of the ČSSR . In the course of their use, many vehicles were sent to the factory for overhaul, where they were given a new body in some cases and older versions were often converted to the latest version.

The export to the GDR began at the end of 1959. The new price in the Federal Republic of Germany was 15,050 DM, later 16,000 DM.

Before the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, the T 603 were a rarity in the West. After 1990, many of these cars were privately exported to the West and Germany by enthusiasts from the GDR , Czechoslovakia and other countries and are now popular classic cars .

Driving impression

Rear view of a Tatra 2-603

In the KFT driving report in 1964, it was criticized that the sporty engine is in discrepancy with the chassis with a pendulum axle , which pretty much excludes a sporty driving style. The Tatra tend to oversteer to a very considerable extent and is also sensitive to crosswinds. The equipment is surprisingly simple for a diplomatic vehicle, and the noise level, especially in the rear, is not appropriate for the use of the car for business travel purposes. However, the good driving performance with moderate fuel consumption were praised. The measured top speed of 173 km / h was still above the factory specification, and the fuel consumption was 13 l / 100 km at a constant 140 km / h. In the test report of the KTA Dresden it was found that the driving behavior of the 2-603 had stabilized considerably compared to the previous 603 due to the changes made, however, inadequate efforts for internal security and the brakes on several test vehicles were deficient in use of disc brakes was suggested.

The 603 series reacts very sensitively to sudden braking maneuvers, especially in wet or snowy conditions. The circuit is indeed fully synchronized, but only works satisfactorily when using intermediate gas is switched and between domes. Despite the lack of power steering, the T 603 is easy to steer and still impresses today with good suspension comfort.

Versions

Tatra 603 Monte Carlo

In the years 1954/1955 an MPV based on the T 603 was designed under the name "Tatra 707", but never even realized as a prototype.

Serial versions

  • Tatras 603
  • Tatra 2-603 or Tatra 603-2
  • Tatra 2-603 model 69 or Tatra 603-2 model 1969

Racing versions

  • Tatra 603 Monte Carlo
  • Tatra 603 B5
  • Tatra 603 B6

Motorsport

The T 603 was also used in motorsport. Factory teams appeared at the Monte Carlo Rally , the Marathon de la Route and other international racing events, as well as national Czechoslovak championships. Once the Tatra team even managed to win the Marathon de la Route with a near-series T 603 of the first series with a performance-enhanced 190 hp. The last racing versions were the Tatra 603 B5 in 1965 and the Tatra 603 B6 in 1968 . Five vehicles started at an Austrian Alpine rally and were the first to arrive in a row.

Prototypes based on the 603

In addition to the series model 603, which was manufactured from 1955 to 1975, a number of prototypes were also built on its basis in the Tatra branch in Bratislava . The first was the Tatra 603 MB minibus in 1961 with a V8 engine of the 603 installed between the front seats and front-wheel drive, which is still unique for a Tatra today. This model was not approved for capacity reasons. Three years later, the Tatra 603 A appeared in 1964 in two body variants as a four-door notchback sedan and an ambulance. This model did not go into series production either. The last prototype was the Tatra 603X from 1966, originally designed in the sedan body variant and intended to replace the well-known production model of the 603. But the 603 X did not meet with the approval of the state authorities and remained a prototype, although the Italian design studio Stile Italia submitted its own stylistically more refined design on behalf of Tatra. As a consequence, Tatra decided in 1966 to redesign and develop a successor to the type 603.

  • Tatra 603 MB (minibus prototype 1961 - only Tatra with front-wheel drive)
  • Tatra 603 A (limousine and ambulance prototype 1964)
  • Tatra 603 X (sedan prototype 1966)

Technical specifications

Engine compartment of a Tatra 2-603 (1969)
Tatra 603 cockpit

Year of construction 1969–1972 Model II, engine type 603H

Trivia

literature

  • Test car of a new Czechoslovak car - Tatra 603. In Motor Vehicle Technology 4/1956, pp. 146–147
  • Early photo of a Tatra 603 in: Motor vehicle technology 12/1956, p. 474

Individual evidence

  1. Tatra 603 passenger car . In: Motor Vehicle Technology 4/1960, pp. 141–142
  2. Test Tatra T 2-603 . In: Motor vehicle technology 2/1964, pp. 62–63.
  3. automotive technology 3/1959, p 115
  4. Oldtimer Market Prices , 2013 edition, p. 273
  5. Automotive engineering drove Tatra 2-603 . In: Motor vehicle technology 1/1964, p. 23.
  6. Test Tatra T 2-603 . In: Motor vehicle technology 2/1964, pp. 62–63.
  7. ^ Wolfgang Schmarbeck: Tatra Mountains. The history of the Tatra automobiles. Uhle & Kleimann Verlag, Lübbecke 1989, ISBN 3-922657-83-4 , pp. 141-148.

Web links

Commons : Tatra 603  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files