Praga is a manufacturing company based in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

. The company produced automobiles, karts and

plane Plane(s) most often refers to: * Aero- or airplane, a powered, fixed-wing aircraft * Plane (geometry), a flat, 2-dimensional surface Plane or planes may also refer to: Biology * Plane (tree) or ''Platanus'', wetland native plant * ''Planes' ...

s. The Praga V3S 5-ton truck was used by the Czechoslovak Army for more than half a century.

History

Praga was founded in 1907 to build

motor car A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded as t ...

s as a venture between entrepreneur František Ringhoffer and the company ''1. českomoravská továrna na stroje'' ("First Bohemian-Moravian Machine Works", later a founding part of the

ČKD ČKD (Českomoravská Kolben-Daněk) () was one of the largest engineering companies in the former Czechoslovakia and today's Czech Republic. It is famous for the Tatra T3, a tramcar that sold 13,991 units worldwide. History ČKD was formed i ...

factories). Ringhoffer only stayed for one year and in 1909 the trade name ''Praga'' ("Prague" in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

) was adopted. One of its early models was built under licence from the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

company of

Isotta Fraschini Isotta Fraschini () was an Italian luxury car manufacturer, also producing trucks, as well as engines for marine and aviation use. Founded in Milan, Italy, in 1900 by Cesare Isotta and the brothers Vincenzo, Antonio, and Oreste Fraschini, in 19 ...

. Besides building its own vehicles Praga later also supplied

engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ...

s and

gearbox Propulsion transmission is the mode of transmitting and controlling propulsion power of a machine. The term ''transmission'' properly refers to the whole drivetrain, including clutch, gearbox, prop shaft (for rear-wheel drive vehicles), differe ...

es for other vehicles, like

aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engine ...

and

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engi ...

s. In 1929 Praga merged with

, one of Czechoslovakia's largest engineering companies. In 1929 ČKD's BD

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

was re-branded under the Praga marque. This was an advanced four-stroke single-

cylinder A cylinder (from ) has traditionally been a three-dimensional solid, one of the most basic of curvilinear geometric shapes. In elementary geometry, it is considered a prism with a circle as its base. A cylinder may also be defined as an infin ...

unit construction : ''For the vehicle design where the vehicle's skin is used as a load-bearing element, see Monocoque.'' Unit construction is the design of larger motorcycles where the engine and gearbox components share a single casing. This sometimes includes ...

double overhead camshaft An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion cha ...

model of 500cc designed in 1927 by JF Koch. The "BD" designation was retained as its model name. In 1932 Praga added a second motorcycle model, the BC. This had a

single overhead camshaft An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion cha ...

engine of 350cc, shaft drive and a pressed steel

frame A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent. Frame and FRAME may also refer to: Physical objects In building construction *Framing (con ...

. Praga ended production of both motorcycle models in 1933. The factory was largely destroyed by air raids in 1945. After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

it was rebuilt and resumed

truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame constructi ...

and

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...

construction. The firm was nationalized in October 1945. Passenger cars (only the mid-sized Lady) were also manufactured in small numbers until 1947, for use by government officials. The M53/59 Praga was a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun developed in the late 1950s. It consists of a heavily modified Praga V3S 6 wheel drive truck chassis and twin 30 mm AA autocannon. In June 2011 the company unveiled their new race car Praga R4 at the

Dutch Supercar Challenge The Supercar Challenge is a motor racing series centered on the Benelux. A special feature is that touring cars, GTs and Sportscars can all participate on an equal basis within the same class, enabled by very open regulations. The championship was ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. It has an eight-cylinder engine of 520 hp, and has not yet been homologated for normal road traffic. According to its owner Petr Ptáček, the company is taking gradual steps, so that Praga cars will not only be seen on racetracks, but also made road-legal. The

Praga R1 The Praga R1 is a sportscar made by Czech car manufacturer Praga Racing. The cars raced on the Supercar Challenge and the Britcar Endurance Championship. Development The first Praga R1 was built in 2012. Official Praga testdriver Dann ...

from 2012 is a race car which competed in the

and Britcar sports car racing. In 2016, the company delivered the first limited edition of the supersport road car Praga R1R, a derivative of the R1 race-car. This marks the first road-legal car under the Praga brand since 1947.

Products

Automobiles

* Praga Mignon (1911–1929) * Praga Grand (1912–1932) -

limousine A limousine ( or ), or limo () for short, is a large, chauffeur-driven luxury vehicle with a partition between the driver compartment and the passenger compartment. A very long wheelbase luxury sedan (with more than four doors) driven by a pr ...

* Praga Alfa (1913–1942) * Praga Baby (1934–1937) * Praga Piccolo (1924–1941) * Praga Super Piccolo (1934–1936) * Praga Golden (1934–1935) * Praga Lady (1935–1947) *

Praga R4S Praga is a district of Warsaw, Poland. It is on the east bank of the river Vistula. First mentioned in 1432, until 1791 it formed a separate town with its own city charter. History The historical Praga was a small settlement located at ...

(2011) - racing car *

(2012–) - racing car * Praga R1R (2016–) - sports car * Praga Bohema (2022–) - sports car All Praga automobile production stopped by 1947, but was restarted in 2011 when Praga constructed the R4S. It utilized a 3.2 liter V8 based on the

Suzuki Hayabusa The Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa is a sports motorcycle made by Suzuki since 1999. It immediately won acclaim as the world's fastest production motorcycle, with a top speed of . In 1999, fears of a European regulatory backlash or import ban led to ...

engine and produces 530 BHP, with a total weight of only 880 kilograms. A feature on the R4S are the markings for camber and toe, which eliminates the need of advanced tools, with a specific amount of "clicks" representing a certain degree of camber or toe.

Motorcycles

* Praga BD 500 DOHC (cs) (1929-1933) * Praga BC 350 OHC (cs) (1932-1933) * Praga ED 250 (1999-2003) - enduro * Praga ED 610 (2000-2003) - enduro

Praga Trucks

* Praga N (1915-1931) - 4 ton truck (4x2) ** Praga TN - a base for Romanian ČKD TN SPE armoured car (8 built) * Praga A150 (1947-1951) - 1.5 ton light truck (4x2) *

Praga RN The Praga RN ( cs, links=no, Rychlý Nákladní, lit=Fast Freight, italic=yes) was a medium-sized truck manufactured by Praga from 1933. The vehicle was powered by a six-cylinder petrol engine. From 1934, the diesel-powered version Praga RND ( cs ...

(1933-1953) - 3 ton truck (4x2) ** Praga RND (1934-1955) - modification of RN with diesel engine * Praga RV (1935-1939) - 2 ton army truck (6x4) * Praga ND (1938-?) - 7 ton heavy truck (4x2) * Praga V3S (1953-1990) - 3 ton all-terrain truck (6x6), produced around 130,000 units * Praga S5T (cs) (1956-1974) - 5 ton truck (4x2) * Praga UV100 (prototype 1985) * Praga UV120 (prototype 1985) * Praga UV80 (1992-2001) - multi-purpose medium truck (4x4)

Buses

* Praga NDO (1938-1948) * Praga RN and RND * Praga A150 - autobus version of the A150 truck

Trolleybuses

* Praga TOT * Unrealized projects: Praga TNT and Praga TB 2

Light Tank

30 mm Pl Dvk vz 53-59 na podvozku Praga V3S

* Praga LT vz. 38 (od 1938) light tank in service with the German

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...

Panzer 38(t) The 38(t), originally known as the ČKD LT vz. 38, was a tank designed during the 1930s, which saw extensive service during World War II. Developed in Czechoslovakia by ČKD, the type was adopted by Nazi Germany following the annexation of Cz ...

* export version of the LT to Switzerland where it was called the Panzerwagen 39.

Aircraft

* Praga BH-41 (E-41) * Praga BH-44 (E-44) * Praga BH-111 * Praga E-36 * Praga E-39 (BH-39) * Praga E-40 * Praga E-45 *

Praga E-51 The Praga E-51 is a Czechoslovakian reconnaissance aircraft and light bomber built by Praga in the 1930s. Development was halted by the annexation of Czechoslovakia by Germany, after only one prototype had been built. The appearance of the const ...

* Praga E-55 * Praga E-112 * Praga E-114 * Praga E-115 * Praga E-117 * Praga E-141 * Praga E-180 * Praga E-210 * Praga E-211 * Praga E-212 * Praga E-214 * Praga E-241

Artillery tractors

* (1935-1941) * (1935-1939) * (1937-1944) * (1937-?) * (1937-1943)

Racing

Team ''Fórmula de Campeones – Praga F4'' compete at the F4 Spanish Championship, a

FIA FIA is the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (English: International Automobile Federation), the world's governing body for all forms of motor sport where four or more wheels are used. Fia or FIA may also refer to: People * Fia Backs ...

Formula 4 FIA Formula 4, also called FIA F4, is an open-wheel racing car category intended for junior drivers. There is no global championship, but rather individual nations or regions can host their own championships in compliance with a universal set of r ...

racing championship. The first-ever running of a dedicated Praga class took at the Silverstone Circuit in April 2021 in the Britcar Endurance Championship, with seven

racing cars.

F4 Spanish Championship results

References

External links

Praga Company website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Praga Hostivar Automotive transmission makers Manufacturing companies based in Prague Aircraft engine manufacturers of the Czech Republic Czech brands Companies of Czechoslovakia Car manufacturers of the Czech Republic Bus manufacturers of the Czech Republic Luxury motor vehicle manufacturers Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1907 Motor vehicle manufacturers of Czechoslovakia Motorcycle manufacturers of Czechoslovakia