Praga is a manufacturing company based in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, Czech Republic. The company produced

motorcycles A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...

automobiles A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...

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

s and

airplane An airplane (American English), or aeroplane (Commonwealth English), informally plane, is a fixed-wing aircraft that is propelled forward by thrust from a jet engine, Propeller (aircraft), propeller, or rocket engine. Airplanes come in a vari ...

s. The Praga V3S 5-ton truck was used by the

Czechoslovak Army The Czechoslovak Army (Czech and Slovak: ''Československá armáda'') was the name of the armed forces of Czechoslovakia. It was established in 1918 following Czechoslovakia's declaration of independence from Austria-Hungary. History In t ...

for more than half a century. The current company produces

karts Kart racing or karting is a motorsport discipline using open-wheel, four-wheeled vehicles known as go-karts or shifter karts. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits, although some professional kart races are also held on full-size moto ...

, racing and road supersports and is involved in car racing. It produces up to 7,000 kart chassis every year, making it one of the most successful kart manufacturers in the world.

History

Praga was founded in 1907 to build

motor car A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people rather than cargo. There are around one bil ...

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 languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

) 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, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

company of

Isotta Fraschini Isotta Fraschini () is 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 195 ...

. 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 ge ...

s and

gearbox A transmission (also called a gearbox) is a mechanical device invented by Louis Renault (who founded Renault) which uses a gear set—two or more gears working together—to change the speed, direction of rotation, or torque multiplication/r ...

es for other vehicles, like

aircraft An aircraft ( aircraft) is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or, i ...

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 battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engine; ...

s. In 1929 Praga merged with

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

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...

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

four-stroke A four-stroke (also four-cycle) engine is an internal combustion (IC) engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes while turning the crankshaft. A stroke refers to the full travel of the piston along the cylinder, in either directio ...

single-

cylinder A cylinder () 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 infinite ...

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 in which 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 combus ...

model of 500cc designed in 1927 by

JF Koch JF may refer to: Brands: * JF Duck, an aircraft * Mazda JF engine, a piston engine * JetFlash, a line of flash drives made by Transcend Businesses and organizations: * Japan Foundation * Jardine Fleming, Hong Kong-based investment bank * ''Javnað ...

. 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 in which 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 combusti ...

engine of 350cc,

shaft drive A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, tailshaft (Australian English), propeller shaft (prop shaft), or Cardan shaft (after Girolamo Cardano) is a component for transmitting mechanical power, torque, and rotation, usually used to connect ...

and a pressed

steel Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...

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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

it was rebuilt and resumed

and

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a motor vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van, but fewer than the average rail transport. It is most commonly used ...

construction. The firm was nationalized in October 1945. Passenger cars (only the mid-sized

Lady ''Lady'' is a term for a woman who behaves in a polite way. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the female counterpart of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. "Lady" is al ...

) 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, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. 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 racing and sports car made by Czech car manufacturer Praga (company), Praga. The cars raced on the Supercar Challenge (series), Supercar Challenge and the Britcar, Britcar Endurance Championship. Development The first P ...

from 2012 is a race car which competed in the

and

Britcar Britcar is an endurance sports car racing and touring car racing series in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1997, as a result of a discussion in a Nürburgring bar between Willie Moore and James Tucker. Folklore has it that James Tucker and J ...

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 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 the e ...

(1911–1929) *

Praga Grand The Praga Grand was a luxury automobile manufactured by Praga in Libeň, Prague. Production of the first Grand, equipped with a four-cylinder engine, started in the Kingdom of Bohemia in 1912 and continued after the dissolution of Austro-Hungary i ...

(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 which can be operated mechanically by hand or by a button electronically. A luxu ...

* Praga Alfa (1913–1942) * Praga Baby (1934–1937) *

Praga Piccolo The Praga Super Piccolo was a car produced by Praga (company), Praga in Czechoslovakia between 1934 and 1936. Design Launched at the 1934 Prague Motor Show, the Super Piccolo was designed as a mid-range replacement to the smaller Praga Piccolo, P ...

(1924–1941) * Praga Super Piccolo (1934–1936) * Praga Golden (1934–1935) * Praga Lady (1935–1947) 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. * Praga R4S (2011) - racing car *

(2013–) - racing car * Praga R1R (2016–2019) - sports car * Praga Bohema (2023–) - sports car File:MotorSport World Expo 2012 (8185620743).jpg, Praga R4S File:2021 Praga R1.jpg,

File:Praga R1R at Legendy 2018 in Prague.jpg, Praga R1R File:2023 Praga Bohema.jpg, Praga Bohema

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 (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 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 the e ...

- autobus version of the A150 truck

Trolleybuses

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

Light Tank

* 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 German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

Panzer 38(t) The 38(t), originally known as the ČKD, Českomoravská Kolben-Daněk (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 G ...

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

Aircraft

Praga BH-41 The Praga BH-41, later redesignated E-41, was a military advanced trainer aircraft produced in Czechoslovakia during the 1930s.Taylor 1989, p.751''The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft'' p.2777 Design and development Designed in response to ...

(E-41) * Praga BH-44 (E-44) *

Praga BH-111 The Praga BH-111 was a sportsplane of Czechoslovakia, designed and built specifically to compete in Challenge 1932, the European touring plane championships. It was a two-seater low-wing monoplane. Design and development The plane was designe ...

* Praga E-36 *

Praga E-39 Praga E-39/BH-39 was a Czechoslovakia, Czechoslovak trainer aircraft. History This aircraft was designed by Pavel Beneš and Miroslav Hajn, engineers at the Czech aviation company ČKD-Praga in 1931. It flew for the first time in June of that y ...

(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 The Praga E-210 was a four-seat, twin-engined touring aircraft built in Czechoslovakia in the late 1930s. It had an unusual pusher configuration . Its tail unit and undercarriage were modified significantly before World War II and after the war ...

Praga E-211 The Praga E-210 was a four-seat, twin-engined touring aircraft built in Czechoslovakia in the late 1930s. It had an unusual pusher configuration . Its tail unit and undercarriage were modified significantly before World War II and after the war ...

* Praga E-212 * Praga E-214 * Praga E-241

Artillery tractors

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

Racing

During the 2013 and 2014 season the

was part of the Supercar Challenge. Praga R1 cars participated in the Dutch GT & Prototype Challenge in 2017 and 2018. Praga R1 participated in the

Endurance Championships in 2019-2021. The first-ever running of a dedicated Praga class took at the

Silverstone Circuit Silverstone Circuit is a motor racing circuit in England, near the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. It is the home of the British Grand Prix, which it first hosted as the 1948 British Grand Prix. The 1950 British Grand ...

in April 2021 in the Britcar Endurance Championship, with seven Praga R1 racing cars.

F4 Spanish Championship results

Team ''Fórmula de Campeones – Praga F4'' compete at the

F4 Spanish Championship The F4 Spanish Championship () is an FIA Formula 4 racing series. The championship was planned to launch in 2015, though the inaugural season was cancelled and delayed until 2016. Koiranen GP was the promoter of the championship for the first tw ...

, a FIA

Formula 4 FIA Formula 4 (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 rules and speci ...

racing championship.

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 1907 establishments in Austria-Hungary