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Members' Vehicles

Members of Tatra Register UK, in Britain and around the world, own well over a hundred vehicles from the marque. Why not send us a picture of yours, with some supporting information for our visitors? Text and pictures to info@tatra-register.org.uk, please.

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The buying and selling of spare parts, cars and any other items advertised on this site remain transactions between the individuals concerned and, in carrying advertisements for these, Tatra Register UK takes no responsibility for the description, condition, safety or fitness for purpose of same, nor does it necessarily endorse products or services offered by advertisers.

Ivan Margolius's 1949 T600 Tatraplan arrived in the UK early in 2010 after a 9-year restoration in the Czech Republic. It originally belonged to the Economic Board of the Cooperative Association of Slovak Farmers before passing into private ownership in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. It is presented on Ivan's www.tatraplan.co.uk website, was featured in Classic Cars magazine's May 2010 issue and, at the 2010 NEC Classic Motorshow, was 1940s class winner in Bauer Media's 'Classic Car of the Year' competition. [10.01.18]

Now sold on by our former membership secretary Adam Drake-Brockman, this 1938 T75 is the 4-seat ‘Luxury Cabriolet’ model, identifiable by its high and low ratios, giving eight forward gears, folding door window guides rather than conventional framing, and a free-wheel. Before returning to CZ, it may have been the first T75 in the UK since Douglas Fitzmaurice imported two cars and a chassis in 1936 for that year's Olympia motor show. It was delivered new to a meat canning factory in Kostelec, Czechoslovakia, but its history is unknown from then until 1993, when it was bought for restoration by a Dutch businessman. [05.02.08]

Practical Classics technical editor Sam Glover is our fifth UK member to own this 1994 613-4 KATi, which was imported by Derrick Moores before spending a while with Gareth Jones, Dave Richards and professional photographer Sam Frost. It has a half-leather interior, a T700 Nardi steering wheel, air-con and a Thatcham-approved immobiliser. Sam snapped it up on eBay two days before our 2007 rally and campaigned it with a freshly won MoT, but it has now been off the road for some years. [10.01.18]

Peter Hazou kept his impressively restored late T87 in the US, and advised us that it first belonged to the Foreign Ministry in Czechoslovakia before passing on to the manager of a factory, outside Prague, that apparently produced teddy bears for export. The car has now been sold on. [10.01.18]

Our treasurer, Peter Milbank-Jones's 'Ellie' is a 1974 T2-603, originally run by the Research Director of Elitex, a Brno-based textile company, and later bought by its chauffeur, as is the Czech custom. Peter bought the car in 1998, when it still wore its original colour, which could be described as either yellow, mustard or coffee. It always reminded Peter of the 1970s British Leyland Harvest Gold that was popular on everything from Allegros and Marinas to Sherpa vans. At the time of its 2003 restoration, he maintained the yellow heritage, but in what he describes as a 'much more respectable' Vanilla. The car is kept in the Czech Republic. Check out Peter's eBay shop by clicking on Bohemia Hobbies, for east European car books, with many Tatra titles, including Tatra trucks, trams and buses. [10.01.18]

Canada forbids the importation of cars under 15 years old unless homologated for the North American market, so member Frank Kolinek was unable to bring his T613-4 Mi Long home to Toronto and ended up selling it to a collector in Holland. He tells us that it was a real beauty - blue with a grey Recaro interior. Though built in 1995, it is not an M95 - Frank had the front panel and bumpers changed as part of its renovation. Leaving the car in CZ for another five years until it was legal to import it was not an option, but he really likes the fuel-injected 613s and would like, eventually, to bring one home. [02.02.07]

Denied the opportunity to import his T613 in Canada, Frank Kolinek bought, instead, this very nice 1969 T2-603 in Slovakia and was able to ship it home in October 2006. His picture shows the car still on its Slovakian export plates, just after it arrived. He sold it in 2017 to former McLaren F1 team boss Alastair Caldwell, who successfully campaigned it in the Pan Am Rally, crossing the US twice and racking up an astonishing 17,000km in three weeks. The car had just three weeks' preparation for its adventure from Alastair's associates after a pampered life in a Slovakian museum and as a low-mileage hobby car with Frank. [10.01.18]

Built in 1969, this T2-603 was Dutch member Peter Visser's first Tatra, bought locally while still on Czech number plates. It had been driven to Holland by a Czech and traded in for a more modern vehicle. Peter had just visited Prague again for the first time after the fall of the Iron Curtain, and once more fallen for 603s, which he remembered from his student days, visiting eastern bloc countries quite regularly when 603s were government vehicles and out of reach for anyone else, let alone a poor student. By now though, they had become just 'old cars' and one day, when he left a Czech camp site to go to the baker's, he saw a 603 pass by and followed it until disappeared into the Prague traffic; bread and rolls forgotten, memories came flooding back. Once back in the Netherlands, he saw this 603 parked in a lot, and just had to stop and take a look. The salesman didn't really want the Tatra for himself and sold it on to Peter, and it has now been in his possession for some twenty-three years. [12.01.18]

Peter Visser's 1948 Tatra T87 was bought in Kladno, CZ, and he's only the fifth owner after the Czechoslovak Ministry of Justice, the communist Firemen's Trade Union and two private owners. It has the original matt silver paint, and when he bought the car it had covered 480,000 kilometres, so the (original!) engine was rather tired. Dutch specialist, Piet Tuinstra, rebuilt the engine, while the gearbox was rebuilt by Ecorra in CZ. The Firemen's Union kept a meticulous record of their mileage in monthly tables - months in which the car covered over 5,000 kms were quite common - and these papers came with the car. The 87 spent the early part of 2007 at the Sommer Automobil Museum in Naersum, Denmark, as part of a Tatra exhibition organised by Danish member Svend Carstensen. [07.02.08]

Peter Visser's 1978 T613 'Chromka' was used as the basis for the 1:43 IXO model, and is shown here with member Kenneth Ufheil from Texas, in Dresden, Germany, formerly DDR. It's his long distance Tatra, used for Tatra meetings abroad and the occasional trip to CZ. It had been offered on eBay, failed to sell, and was relisted (for a considerably lower sum) but still failed to sell. Peter contacted the vendor and made him an offer, before flying to Dresden in December 1999, picking up the car and driving it home. It was a very cold trip, as neither heater worked, and he wasn't adequately dressed for a winter trip like that ...it's usually unpleasantly hot in planes, and the thought of a car without a heater had never crossed his mind. It all works fine now, though! The 613 has proved completely reliable and, although it's not such a head turner as his 87 or even the 603, Peter has grown to like it as much as his other Tatras. [01.01.18]

Sam Glover's 1969 T2-603 is shown here when still with its previous owner, professional artist Colin Rose, who has published webpages showing the progress of 'HUM' with her enthusiastic new keeper. Colin was one of our earliest  members. Never having trained as an engineer, he was an example to other owners, running his Tatra as an everyday car from 1991 until 1999, and doing his own maintenance, including an engine rebuild for which most of the parts came from another example he found in a Keighley scrapyard in 1993. Eastern bloc vehicle champion, long-distance car adventurer and Practical Classics features editor, Sam's restoration has been stalled for some years due to his restorer's repetitive strain condition but most of the hard work has been done, using a lot of new panelwork. Hopefully, his determination will see the car back on the road before too long.[12.01.18]

Danish member Svend Carstensen's help in sourcing cars and parts is widely appreciated by Tatra enthusiasts, and he has built up a personal fleet that includes cars from 1930 to 1997. This is his 1936 T57a, shortly after acquisition. [22.11.06]

This 1990 T613-3 was imported into the UK by Tim Bishop during development of the still-born rhd T613-5, and has been owned by former TRUK member Tony Marcusson and by our former Membership Secretary and Press Officer, Adam Drake-Brockman. By the time it attended Stanford Hall, in the Spring of 2006, it had begun to reflect its new owner Andrew Fawcett's enthusiasm for 'gothic' references. VW and rear-engine fan Andrew had been a member since shortly after our club's formation, but he did not acquire this, his first Tatra, until 2005. Andrew died tragically in a road traffic accident in 2017. [10.01.18]

This fine T600 Tatraplan was a welcome newcomer to our events when it was entered for our 2005 Knaresborough Annual Rally. Owned by John McEntagart, who ran a T613-3 for many years, it has now been sold on. Although a post-WW2 model, the Tatraplan was very rare in Ireland, and in Britain where there are now far more T87s. [10.01.18]

Bought in the Czech Republic in 2002 by Roddy Barron, this silver 1990 T613-3, with a red interior and sunroof, was bought by Paul Wilson, who recommissioned it after a prolonged lay-up, and attended our 2007 Coventry rally in it. Paul acquired the car so that he wouldn't have to forego Tatra driving while his well-known blue 603 was off the road for some cosmetic tidying, but has now sold it on and it now lives in Hungary. [16.02.12]

Canadian member John Long is now showing and enjoying this rare and wonderful 1938 T77a after a long, and sometimes traumatic combination of new-build and restoration. John still has the original body, but the one now fitted was built from scratch in the Czech Republic, using the original as a pattern. The T77a body is timber framed, unlike the later, smaller T87. [08.11.06]

Ian and Kirsten Tisdale's 'matching numbers' T97 is one of two 1938 examples imported independently into the UK from the Czech Republic in 2005. The T97 is a shorter and lighter pre-WW2 iteration of the contemporary T87 concept, its flat-four OHC engine sharing many components with the bigger car's trademark modular V8, and with many common body parts. At over five times the German KdF-Wagen's planned price, the compact Tatra was not, as is repeatedly mis-reported, an economy 'people's car', and nor was it conceived for anything like the VW/KdF's ambitious production targets. The Volkswagen Beetle/Käfer/Coccinelle was a case of parallel evolution with a quite different objective. This T97 was compared with TRUK member Jeff Caton's 1951 VW in Classics Monthly's March 2006 cover feature, after an appearance at the 2005 Classic Motor Show at Birmingham's NEC. It attended our August 2006 rally in Wales and, in 2007 at our Coventry rally, it was driven by US member Hampton Wayt who had sourced it. In 2011 it was driven from north Oxfordshire to the German Tatra club's rally in Lower Saxony and back without incident. Following major refurbishment and a colour change by Steve Miller in Hampshire, and an engine rebuild byTim Bishop, it's now attended three Dutch rallies, three Classic Motor Shows at the Birmingham NEC, including Live Stage appearances, and the prestigious 2017 London Classic Motor Show at ExCel where it paraded each day on the Grand Avenue. [16.01.18]

Jonathan Nock imported his 1987 T613-3 from Denmark, after joining our club, and has been a regular participant in our annual rallies. His car is pictured here attacking the Pembrey circuit on our 2006 rally. Jonathan was awarded the Ecorra Trophy at our 2010 Kent rally after enduring a nine hour journey from Wolverhampton, due to motorway accidents, to be with us, during which he read several chapters of a novel that he happened to have with him. [16.01.18]

Of the four 1993 rhd T613-5 prototypes, three survive and have all been owned by TRUK members at some point. This was the car featured widely in the press and on BBC's 'Top Gear' programme. The so-called Tatra history, that may well sound familiar, is almost total bunk, so don't take it too seriously, but the feature can be found at: https://tinyurl.com/ydyb5jz4 - how sad that you can no longer order a new Tatra! Since the development project ended, this car has been in the hands of Pat Donlan, who commissioned a windows-out bare-metal respray and refurbishment in 2005, that was carried out to a high standard by František Prosecký in Bítov, CZ. It is now owned by Richard and Catherine Glover, who were presented with the Dutch club's annual trophy when they took it to the TRN rally shortly after acquisition. [19.01.18]

Nick Fishlock's 1975 T2-603, shown here at Air Cool Duxford in 2003, had an eventful 2005. Former member Graham Halsey had rescued it from a long spell airside at Biggin Hill and sold it to a local dealer following a four year restoration with much spent on new parts such as suspension, steering, brakes, tyres, and door and window rubbers. It reappeared on eBay before being withdrawn early and being used for filming a music video and then changed hands again after another eBay auction. [10.01.18]

Membership Secretary, Derrick Moores's metallic black 1995 613-4 has now left our shores and passed through more than one new owner. It was completely rebuilt to Derrick's requirements in the Czech Republic in 2002, with a 4.3 litre engine, and received numerous subtle Series 5 and T700-style body modifications, including door skins, frontal treatment, rear roof profile and bonded front and rear screens. It runs on T700 wheels and has a catalogue of detail changes, like switchgear, sill kick-plates, black powder-coated window frames and a full leather interior. It was Derrick's daily driver for four years. [10.01.18]

Allen Walker bought his 1964 T2-603 in 2000, in excellent condition, from a classic car dealer in Ostrava in the Czech Republic. It received its routine seven year factory rebuild in 1971, with the final style of headlamp mask, and was fitted with an alternator at about the same time. Our picture shows it at the August 2005 TRUK 4th Annual Rally, arranged for us by Allen and wife Pauline, with help from Colin Rose and his partner Roz. The car has been off the road for some time, but we understand it is hoped to have it running again by Summer 2018. [10.01.18]

During its 12 years with former TRUK chairman Adrian Shooter, this 1932 T54 with a T52 engine was the only one of its type in Britain, but is now part of Jeff Lane's growing Tatra fleet in Nashville, Tennessee. It made its final UK appearance at our Knaresborough rally in August 2005, where it was campaigned by the Lanes before being driven to Rotterdam for shipment to the US. Introduced in 1926, it offers more refinement, with its four cylinder 1910cc air-cooled engine, than the smaller T12. [08.03.15]

This 1980 T613 Special is the only example in the UK. Owned by Simon Redrup in Wales, it suffered a broken cambelt, and seven bent valves as a result, while with its previous owner. It is still equipped with the 'blues & twos' and the p.a. system that it had when the personal transport of first Slovakian president and leader of the country's People's Party, the 'singing and boxing' Vladimir Meciar, when he was still a minister in the Czechoslovakian government. The rear spoiler and alloy wheels are later additions. Simon made 'Vlad' available for our award-winning stand at the 2008 NEC Classic Motor Show, but the car has now not run for many years. [10.01.18]

Professional restorer Peter Ratcliffe's very well presented 1984 T613-2 shows off the very tasteful lines and detail of the original 613 design, although the alloy wheels are not original. Comparison with other cars launched in the early seventies is particularly interesting. At 5 metres long, these cars always look a lot smaller in photographs than they really are . [30.01.06]

Peter Ratcliffe's full-fronted 1949 T87 remains unrestored, and part of a small collection of projects that he hopes to get round to at some stage, if other commitments allow.

 

Danish member Bo Ødegaard's 1995 T613-4 Mi Long had a three month refurbishment in the Czech Republic, where it received type-5 bumpers, front mask and rear trim, as part of its makeover. The car had been delivered new to a finance company, and leased to a senior businessman, but at some point he sold it(!) and died shortly afterwards. The leasing company reported it stolen, and it was confiscated from its unsuspecting new owner. Both the buyer and the leasing company claimed ownership of the car, and the case went to litigation. The car was put into storage where Bo’s Prague contact found it during the winter of 1999-2000. [12.01.18]

This 1989 T613-3 was imported into the UK at three years old by Ian and Kirsten Tisdale, having been a company car at the Barum tyre company in Czechoslovakia, and it was its purchase that prompted the founding of our club. It was later bought by John McEntagart in Dublin, for many years a campaigner of rear-engined air-cooled Fiats and a VW Karmann Ghia, and our first member from the Republic of Ireland, where he racked up a substantial mileage in addition to attending several international events and supporting most, if not all, of our main annual meetings in England. The Tisdales had had lower type-4 front struts fitted, and Tim Bishop added alloy wheels from the type-5 rhd project for John, and a large Moto Lita steering wheel to make parking the car with its unassisted steering less of a challenge. The engine was subsequently rebuilt as a hybrid combination of carburettor fuelling and the aluminium cylinders of the later injected cars, apparently after an altercation with a bulldozer. After five years off the road following disposal by John, it now has a new Slovakian owner. Our picture was taken at the 2005 TFI Schellerhau/Dresden Treffen. [10.01.18]

Jeff Lane has the US's biggest collection of Tatras as a feature of his Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, Tennessee. A regular participant in European events in the past,he took delivery of this 4.3 litre 1997 T700-1 at Schellerhau, and shipped it home after the event - just as he had done with his T97 at Lekkerkerk in 2004. Some views of the T700-1 and T700-2 can be found at: https://tinyurl.com/ydfx46t4. Jeff has been on the lookout for a Tatra bus, as a further addition to the collection, and would welcome any leads. E-mail the museum if you think you can help. [19.01.18]

This 1980 8x8 T813 Kolos is owned by former member Malcolm Douglas (who navigated Bedrich Sklenovský’s T815 in the 2002 Paris-Dakar Rally) and is one of four imported by Honey Street Sawmills, whose Euro Trials example joined us at the first Air Cool event at Brooklands in 1999. Malc’s Kolos is shown here freshly turned out in a Terex-Tatra livery at the 4th Castle Combe Rallyday.[19.02.13]

Here's Hampton Wayt from South Carolina, with the T87 with which he won the Blue Ribbon in the Rear Engine Sedans class at Florida's Amelia Island Concours in 2005. Despite its early-style low front, the car, which was acquired from Canadian enthusiast Gary Cullen, is listed in our register as built in 1948. Hampton's world-class collection of futuristic automotive artwork was featured in Classic & Sports Car (Sep '04, p50), and was on display in 2005 at the Petersen Automotive Museum, Los Angeles, along with a Tucker and a Stout Scarab, among other exhibits. Hampton has now sold this car to the Minneapolis Institute of Art. [17.01.18]

This complete 1947 T87 is one of two unrestored T87s bought in late 2003 from Ian and Kirsten Tisdale, still in 'barn find' condition by Hampton Wayt in the US. It had been imported to the UK by former member Henry van Moyland in the early '90s, and kept under cover at Bugatti afficionado the late Fitzroy (Lord) Raglan's estate in Wales without receiving any further attention. Shipped to the US in November 2006, it was then sold to US collector Chris Ohrstrom, chairman of The World Monuments Fund, as a pattern for the restoration of the second of the ex-Van Moyland pair. [10.01.18]

Also consigned to Hampton Wayt in the US and sold to Chris Ohrstrom was this totally dismantled, ex-Henry van Moyland 1940 T87. Dan McMahon's International Auto Restoration near Chicago completed a forensic restoration involving chemical analysis of original blue paint fragments and re-weaving of replica upholstery fabric, and the finished car was awarded third place in the special Tatra featred class at the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. [10.01.18]

Frank Kaufhold has probably owned more Tatras than anyone else in the UK, and probably still does. This T613RZP never actually served as an ambulance, having been used by the factory as a high speed parts tender and workshop, hence its 'Tatra red' livery and decals. [19.02.13]

Paul Blaha's T603 is plated as a 1959 car, making it technically one of the the oldest examples in our register, but was rebuilt into a later shell as part of a routine factory refurbishment. These seven-year makeovers can make the identification of post-WW2 Tatras more like forensic science. In 2017 Paul treated the car to a major restoration by Steve Miller, in Hampshire, who has now worked on five of our Tatras. [12.01.18]

Jonathan Fletcher, in Scotland, now owns this smart 1977 T613 'Chromka', which was restored for F1 driver David Coulthard's former business manager and TRUK member Iain Cunningham, by the Samohýl museum and regional Škoda dealership in Zlín, Moravia. Another member in England has the only other two of these series-1 cars on our register. They closely replicate the original Vignale design and are well proportioned and elegant by the standards of the late sixties. [12.01.18]

Former member and professional restorer John Foy, of Baldock, Herts, brought this 1946 T87 along to the 2003 Air Cool event at Duxford, before embarking on a nut and bolt rebuild for Irish client Paul Keane. The car had become available on the open market after being tracked down in Gothenburg, Sweden, by an agent whose customer withdrew before buying. This has been a long journey for owner Paul, who is still working through issues with a car that now presents well. [11.01.18]

Jeff Lane took delivery of this rare, fully restored 1938 T97 from Ecorra, at the 2004 TFI/Tatra Register Nederland rally at Lekkerkerk, where he campaigned it before shipping it home from nearby Rotterdam to his Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, Tennessee. The T600 Tatraplan was a post-war reinterpretation, around the same size, similarly configured, and with the same streamlining ethos but more cost-effective engineering. [01.01.18]

Jeff Lane's 1938 T57 makes an interesting contrast with his T97 from the same year. In terms of layout it appears conventional but, inheriting the trademark single tube backbone chassis in unit with engine and transmission, and the independent rear suspension of its predecessors, its apparent conservatism is only skin deep. [15.08.08]

Another Ecorra restoration in the Lane collection, this 1947 T87, with the later style high nose, was entered in the demanding San Antonio to Anaheim 'Great Race' in 2002, as described by Jeff in Fanmail 28. The car had only recently been acquired, and a transmission glitch prevented completion of its first adventure, but it was back again for a more successful run in 2004 .

David Saxl's white ex-Gareth Jones 1964 T2-603 became one of our club's higher profile vehicles with its appearance in the St Mary's Trophy races at the 2004 Goodwood Revival , where it was driven by Le Mans Porsche celebrity driver Dickie Attwood on the Saturday, and by David the following day. After mixed fortunes on the continent, this unlikely entry performed well, neither finishing last nor, more importantly, having to be withdrawn like many other participants. Its Goodwood participation pre-dated the subsequent visits of a Czech-entered B5 racing T603 in the same event. [12.01.18]

By the time Paul Wilson took delivery of his 1970 T2-603, it had been resprayed in this striking metallic blue for a film appearance. He successfully resisted attempts to renegotiate the price, and the car made a refreshing alternative to the more numerous 'embassy black' examples at our gatherings, at which it continues to be a regular participant. It surprised us all by turning up at our 2010 Kent rally in a new powder blue and cream livery. David Landsberger's picture shows Paul's car still in single colour metallic in the evocative setting of Crich, at the 'East Berlin Day', November 2006. Click on this YouTube link to see Paul having a bit of fun at Pembrey circuit. [12.01.18]

Any doubts about the sophistication of central European automotive design before WW2 must surely be answered by the T87, prototyped in 1936. This is Jiri Pechan's 1946 example at our Sywell rally in 2004, fresh from a thirteen month restoration by Ecorra. It has spent its entire life in the west, having been delivered to the Romanian embassy in Dublin. It was acquired by the late Mike Hawley, and recommissioned by ex-member Tom Commander before being entered for the 1988 Norwich Union RAC Classic, which prompted a feature article in Classic Cars in October of that year. Tom subsequently owned the car for many years. It is now a genuine show stealer. It was driven to the Rallye Beskydy in 2005 without missing a beat, and was part of the 'Mould Breakers' display at the 2006 Goodwood Festival of Speed. From 2010 the car was on display in the Tatra museum in Koprivnice, but is now back in the UK. [12.01.18]

Fari Boozari's light grey 1959 T603 must, like Paul Blaha's, have been rebuilt into a later Type 3 shell, probably as part of a scheduled factory refurbishment. Aeronautical engineer, Fari, has rebuilt his engine twice. His car is shown here at the now closed Stondon museum, participating in our third annual rally in 2004, and has been driven from Bristol to Fari's parents in Shetland since then. [12.01.18]

Octane contributor, and past editor of our own Fanmail, Delwyn Mallett's gunmetal T603 provided a rare opportunity to see an early three-headlamp car in the UK, and to spot dozens of detail differences from our more numerous later versions, though by 1961 a 'narrow four light' front panel had already been introduced and Del's car has only sported this earlier, three light, glass panel since its restoration. The car has now been off the road for some time. [11.01.18]

Richard Gane's ex- Russell McCleave 1946 T87 is shown here at Air Cool 2003, at Duxford, where it made its first public appearance. The somewhat unorthodox wheels were concealing disc brakes that had been retro-fitted to all four corners. Much work has been done since, including a very attractive light green and cream interior retrim. [08.11.07]

A delightful little 1927 T12 pick-up in Jeff's Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, Tennessee. [15.08.08]

 

 

The Lane collection's 1950 T600 Tatraplan is another of the growing fleet of Tatras that share the enormous former bakery with a wide variety of other vehicles, ranging from motorcycles and microcars to Amphicar and Alvis Stalwart amphibians. [22.11.06]

1964 T603 at the Lane Motor Museum.

Fanmail editor Delwyn Mallett's 1946 T87 was the first to be restored by Ecorra, in Koprivnice, which has now completed around fifty in addition to countless other types and makes. It was commissioned by our former membership secretary Derrick Moores, and widely campaigned by him before joining Delwyn's extensive fleet. Click on this YouTube link for the car's appearance on BBC's Top Gear programme, when adults were still the target audience. [12.01.18]

By 1952, when Jeff Caton's T600 was built, Tatraplan production had been transferred by government edict to Škoda, at Mlada Boleslav in Bohemia. All Škoda-built examples have an engine cover that is curved, rather than pointed, below the fin, a feature introduced shortly before production was moved from Koprivnice. It isn't hard to see what the car's appeal is to VW enthusiast and collector, Jeff, whose 1951 Beetle was compared with a Tatra T97 in the March 2006 issue of Classics Monthly, and he has subsequently bought a T603 to keep it company. [16.01.18]

David Froggatt's gun-turreted, Tatra-powered OT64C 8x8 amphibious armoured personnel carrier dates from around1964, is in mint condition, and is pictured at Air Cool 2003. It is an enormous and complex vehicle, and puts the challenge of more orthodox Tatra ownership in perspective. [08.11.06]

Dave Richards's 1974 T2-603 was imported in 1999 by Life Member Paul Norton, before passing to Jonathan Milne who had the bodywork refurbished. Unfortunately, the company that undertook the work failed to refit the engine shrouds, and the engine overheated to destruction. Dave recommissioned the car with a low-mileage engine and other parts from two scrappers, and it covered over 10,000 km after its resurrection, including visits to France and the Netherlands, but has been laid up since 2009. [11.01.18]

This 1928 T12 'adaptor' limousine is now owned by a Dutch enthusiast, and is shown here at TRN's 20th anniversary rally in Langweer, 2006. In 1993 it was bought by former TRUK member Bob Hughes at a Hendon auction where a private Irish collection was being sold up. Fitted with a soft top, it would also have been supplied with a removable hard top to give it its 'adaptability'. The specification includes a 1056cc 2-cylinder horizontally opposed engine, the 4-wheel cable brakes that distinguish it from the earlier T11, independent rear suspension and a single tube back-bone chassis. [11.11.06]

Ian and Kirsten Tisdale's 1995 T613-4 Mi Long M95, one of just fifteen built before being replaced by the T700, was bought in April 1999 from a well-known Tatra enthusiast in Augsburg, Germany. It was professionally wax-injected and its original 3,495cc KATi injected motor was replaced, in May 2003, by a new 4.3 litre unit built by Karel and Stanislav Bordovsky, at Tatra Servis, Koprivnice, using a factory test engine as a basis. The car remains in its original BMW Córdoba Red with grey cloth interior and leather dash, has air-conditioning, electric windows, mirrors and rear blind, and has covered thousands of kilometres in the UK and in western and central Europe since purchase, including TFI/TRN Lekkerkerk 2004 and TFI Zbiroh CZ in 2012. [12.01.18]

This midnight blue (Jaguar Westminster Blue) 1968 T2-603 with non-standard grey West of England cloth and leatherette interior was restored in 1995/6 by Rudi Kanduš in Telc, Czech Republic, for previous owner Derrick Moores. Current custodians, Ian and Kirsten Tisdale, had a brand new engine fitted in 2003 built from new and n.o.s. parts by Mr Ovcacik working with Jiri Ruml in Koprivnice, and by the end of 2017 had personally racked up 60,000km. The car's first foreign trip was to the 2004 Grand Prix de l'Âge d'Or at Montlhéry, France, and it was the only vehicle from the UK among the 62 cars at the 2005 TFI/TRD Schellerhau/Dresden rally, taken in as part of a two-week, 2,300 mile touring holiday. Subsequently fitted with bespoke new Leda adjustable front struts and rear dampers, it was again the only UK entry at the 2006 TFI/TRD Schrobenhausen rally, and attending TRN's 2006 Langweer and 2007 Vlijmen meetings and TRD's on Fehmarn in 2007. 2011 saw the 603 make another successful foray to the Netherlands for a holiday that took in TRN's summer rally. Though still looking sharp enough for a Classic & Sports Car feature in early 2015, the car received further major bodywork refurbishment that year, with a huge amount of metal cut out, and correction of earlier work. [12.01.18]

 

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