The Tatra 80 is a

Czechoslovak Czechoslovak may refer to: *A demonym or adjective pertaining to Czechoslovakia (1918–93) **First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–38) **Second Czechoslovak Republic (1938–39) **Third Czechoslovak Republic (1948–60) **Fourth Czechoslovak Repub ...

luxury Luxury may refer to: * Luxury goods, an economic good or service for which demand increases more than proportionally as income rises *Luxury tax, tax on products not considered essential, such as expensive cars **Luxury tax (sports), surcharge pu ...

full-size car Full-size car—also known as large car—is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than mid-size cars, it is the largest size class for cars. In Europe, it is known as E-segment or F-segment. Af ...

built by Tatra between 1931 and 1935.

History

Hans Ledwinka Hans Ledwinka (14 February 1878 – 2 March 1967) was an Austrian automobile designer. Youth Ledwinka was born in Klosterneuburg (Lower Austria), near Vienna, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He started his career as a mechanic, an ...

designed the car in 1930. It was launched in 1931, the same year as the

Tatra 70 The Tatra 70 is a First Czechoslovak Republic, Czechoslovak luxury car that was made by Tatra (car), Tatra at Kopřivnice from 1931 to 1937. It succeeded the Tatra 31. Tatra 70 The model was launched in 1931, the same year as the Tatra 80, and t ...

, and the two models have the same

backbone chassis Backbone tube chassis is a type of automobile construction chassis that is similar to the body-on-frame design. Instead of a two-dimensional ladder-type structure, it consists of a strong tubular backbone (usually rectangular in cross section) ...

and

swing axle A swing axle is a simple type of independent (rear wheel) suspension designed and patented by Edmund Rumpler in 1903. This was a revolutionary invention in automotive suspension, allowing driven (powered) wheels to follow uneven road surfaces i ...

suspension. The brakes are by ATE- Lockheed. The Type 80 has

wire wheel Wire wheels, wire-spoked wheels, tension-spoked wheels, or "suspension" wheels are wheels whose rims connect to their hubs by wire spokes. Although these wires are generally stiffer than a typical wire rope, they function mechanically the sam ...

s, whereas the Type 70 has disc wheels. But the underlying difference is the engine. The Type 70 was built with a 3,406 cc six-cylinder

OHC 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, but the Type 80 was given a 5,990 cc, 65-degree V-12

sidevalve engine A flathead engine, also known as a sidevalve engine''American Rodder'', 6/94, pp.45 & 93. or valve-in-block engine is an internal combustion engine with its poppet valves contained within the engine block, instead of in the cylinder head, as ...

. The engine produces , giving the car a top speed of . Edit : Query whether it really is sidevalve design ? The picture of the engine looks much more like one of the last sleeve valve designs, comparable with the Daimler Double Six Tatra 80 3

Tatra supplied the bare rolling chassis, engine and transmission. Customers chose a body style and which coachbuilding company would build it. Four-door sedans, cabriolets and six-seat limousines were built. There is at least one example of a two-door, four-seat convertible. Sodomka of

Vysoké Mýto Vysoké Mýto (; german: Hohenmaut, also ''Hohenmauth'') is a town in Ústí nad Orlicí District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 12,000 inhabitants. Its town square is the largest example of its type in the country. T ...

built bodies for several Type 80 cars. The Type 80 was Tatra's most luxurious and expensive car, priced at Kčs 195,000 to 200,000. Tatra built 22 Type 80 cars between 1931 and 1935.

Presidential landaulet

In 1935 a unique Tatra 80

landaulet Landaulet may refer to: * Landaulet (carriage), horse-drawn carriage * Landaulet (car) A landaulet, also known as a landaulette, is a car body style where the rear passengers are covered by a convertible top. Often the driver is separated from t ...

was built as the official state car of Czechoslovak President TG Masaryk. On 18 April 2005 it was presented to the National Technical Museum in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

. On 29 September 2005 the

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 ...

declared that a set of five historic cars, including the Presidential landaulet, to be a national cultural monument.

References

Bibliography

* * * {{Tatra models Automobiles with backbone chassis Cars introduced in 1931 Rear-wheel-drive vehicles 80 Luxury vehicles