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The story
Founded by Ignaz Schustala in 1897, in Kopřivnice.1
Early years
In 1850, Ignaz Schustala founded "Ignatz Schustala & Cie" in Kopřivnice, and the company entered the business of manufacturing horse-drawn vehicles.
In the 1880s, the company began manufacturing railroad cars.
In 1890, the company became a joint-stock company, and was renamed the Nesselsdorfer Wagenbau-Fabriksgesellschaft. Also that year, Hugo Fischer von Röslerstamm became the company's technical director. After Schustala died in 1891, von Röslerstamm took over the management of the business.
In 1897, the company began the creation of an automobile with an internal combustion engine. Using a Benz automobile purchased by von Röslerstamm as inspiration, the company built its first car, the Präsident, under the direction of engineers Hans Ledwinka and Edmund Rumpler. The Präsident was exhibited in Vienna later that year. The company began taking orders for cars, and between 1897 and 1900, nine improved cars based on the Präsident were made.
The first car to be completely designed by Ledwinka was the Nesselsdorf A, which was produced in 1900. The Nesselsdorf A was equipped with a rear-mounted 2714 cc engine, and had a top speed of 40 km/h (25 mph). 22 units were built.
The Nesselsdorf A was followed in 1902 by the Type B, which featured a central engine.
Ledwinka then left the company to concentrate on steam engine development. He returned in 1905 and designed a completely new car, the Type S, which was equipped with a 3308 cc 4-cylinder engine.
In 1912, production was badly affected by a strike that lasted 23 weeks, and von Röslerstamm left the company. In 1916, Ledwinka left the company again, this time to work for one of its competitors, Steyr-Werke in Graz.
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1970s makeover—the Tatra 613
In 1968, a replacement was developed: the Tatra 613. It was styled by the Italian styling house of Vignale and was a more modern, less rounded shape. It was not until 1973 that the car went into production, and volume production did not begin until the following year. Although the layout remained the same, the body was all new, as was the engine, which was equipped with four overhead camshafts, a higher capacity motor (3495 cc) and an output close to 165 bhp (123 kW; 167 PS). In addition, it had been moved somewhat forward for improved balance. These cars were built in five series and went through several modifications until production ceased in 1996. Over 11,000 cars were built, and sales slowed to a trickle of just a few dozen per year towards the end of production as Tatras began to seem more and more outdated.
1990s Tatra 700
The Tatra 700 was a large luxury car released in 1996 by Tatra. It was essentially a heavily restyled version of the Tatra 613 model it replaced, with updated body panels and detailing. The T700 was offered as both a saloon and coupé with either a 3.5 or 4.4 litre 90° air-cooled V8 petrol engine.
The model was neither successful nor produced in large numbers, with a total of 69–72 cars manufactured. The T700 was the last passenger car made by Tatra, with production halting in 1999. At this point, Tatra abandoned automobile manufacturing to concentrate on truck design and manufacture.
1990s Tatra MTX V8
The Tatra MTX V8 was the fastest Czech car of all time. Production started in 1991 in Kopřivnice. It has a Tatra 623 V8 engine with inlet manifold injection producing 225 kW at 6500 rpm. It accelerates from 0–100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.6 seconds. The top speed is 265 kilometres per hour (165 mph). The Czech designer Václav Král designed this vehicle, with only five ever produced.
2000s
In February 2008, Tatra announced the world's first and only air-cooled engine meeting the then forthcoming Euro 5 emissions standards. The press release claims 7.5 times lower emissions of particulates and 3.5 times lower emissions of nitrogen oxides compared to the previous engine. Further, production of air-cooled engines should significantly reduce the production of greenhouse gases due to the absence of liquid cooling systems. All Tatra vehicles from February 2008 onwards should use the new engine. A month later, Tatra CEO Ronald Adams told The Prague Post Tatra could return to producing passenger cars, saying: "We would not come back to compete with the large automobile mass producers such as Volkswagen, Škoda, Toyota etc. But we might come back with a replica of the old Tatra cars using a current undercarriage and driveline from one of the major automotive producers." The company has launched a feasibility study, hoping to produce one thousand replicas of their legendary Tatraplan and 603 cars in 2010.
In July 2008, pictures of a fuel cell concept car designed by Mike Jelinek, the Tatra 903, were shown.
A Tatra 87 is on exhibit at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
1898–1914 beginning
The first truck manufactured at Kopřivnice in 1898 was a flatbed with two liquid-cooled side-by-side-mounted two-cylinder Benz engines each at 2.7 L capacity with total power output of 8.8 kW (12 hp) placed after the rear axle and cargo capacity of 2.5 ton. The unique feature of the engine setup was that the engines could be operated sequentially depending on the load requirements. No. 1 engine was started via a cranking handle and had a flywheel attached, and No. 2 engine, without the flywheel, was connected via a gear clutch and started by the first engine already running.
The second truck manufactured was once again a flatbed R type of 2.5 ton cargo capacity built in 1909. Powered by a liquid-cooled petrol four-cylinder engine of 4.1 L capacity and power output of 18.4 kW (25 hp) with the engine placed above the front axle, which is the conventional design to this day. The vehicle featured solid rubber tyres and semi-elliptic leaf spring suspension. In 1910, Tatra manufactured its first bus, the Omnibus type SO, with a total production of five units.
1914–1922 serial production
The first true serial truck production at Tatra was instigated by the beginning of World War I. In the year 1914, there were only two trucks made, type T 14/40 HP; however, by 1915's end, the production jumped to a total of 105 TL-2 units, and the following year, 1916, the numbers rose to a total of 196 TL-2 and 30 TL-4. Production peaked in 1917 with 19 TL-2 and 303 TL-4 models, but then production declined, and a similar number of vehicles of one type manufactured in a year was not achieved or surpassed until 1936 with the T 27 model.
Technically, models TL-2 and TL-4 were almost identically designed; in fact, TL-4 evolved from TL-2, where both had liquid-cooled OHC engines of max power output of 25.7 kW (35 PS; 34 hp). The TL-2 had a GVM 2,100 kg (4,630 lb) and 4,000 kg (8,818 lb) GCM, TL-4 had 2,700 kg (5,952 lb) GVM and 6,700 kg (14,771 lb) GCM respectively. Both types remained in production in small series until 1927. The TL-4 is considered the first truck to come out of NW (Nesselsdorfer Wagenbau) to carry the name Tatra in 1919.
1923–1938 Tatra concept
After the introduction of Tatra 11 and Tatra 12 cars with their distinctive backbone tube design and swing axles, Tatra introduced its first truck on the same basis, the light utility Tatra 13 powered by 2-cylinder air-cooled petrol engine with power output 8.8 kW (12 hp) and 1,000 kg (2,205 lb) cargo capacity. Further models followed, and in 1926, T23 and T24 were introduced, nicknamed "bulldogs", which could be considered Tatra's precursors to COE designed trucks. Improved version T13 was introduced as T26 with a more powerful 4-cylinder flat air-cooled engine and in six-wheeler chassis created capable offroad light utility truck which later evolved into T72 model which was heavily used by the Czechoslovak Army at the time and was also manufactured under license by the French company Lorraine-Dietrich. In 1933, Tatra built a limited series of T25 heavy artillery tractors with 4 and 6-cylinder petrol engines. The most popular Tatra truck before World War II was type T27 powered by 4-cylinder petrol or diesel engines, which remained in production for nearly 17 years (1930–1947) with total production of 7,620 units. By adding an extra axle to the rear, the type T28 was created; however, it was not successful and only limited production resulted in a mainly bus chassis. In the period from 1931 to 1938, Tatra also built a small utility truck based on the chassis from T30 named Tatra T43 which remained popular with small business owners. T72 model successfully continued the line to T82 built mainly for military in cargo and personnel transport between 1935 and 1938 and further to T92 and T93 built for the Romanian army from 1938 to 1941 which were identical except T93 had also a driven front axle.
1939–1956 World War II and beyond
Following the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia, the production at Kopřivnice was annexed by the Germans for the supply of trucks needed by the Wehrmacht. Apart from the existing line-up of T27, T92/92, a new heavy truck, the T81, commenced production featuring a liquid-cooled 12.5 L V8 diesel engine with a power output of 118 kW (160 PS; 158 hp), in 6×4 axle configuration. This vehicle evolved in 1942 into the T111 which continued in production until 1962, with a total of 33,690 units made. The T111 also featured Tatra's first air-cooled diesel engine, a massive V12 originally designed for the armoured Sd.Kfz. 234 Puma. In the latter stages of World War II, Tatra was instrumental in the development of air-cooled diesel engines for German tanks. In late 1944, General Heinz Guderian ordered that production of the Type 38(t) Hetzer tank be modified to incorporate a Tatra Type 928 V-8 air-cooled diesel engine, though this order was delayed so production could continue uninterrupted. After the war, the T111 contributed heavily to the rebuilding effort in Central and Eastern Europe, and a memorial was built at Magadan, Siberia, for its exploits in the Far East of the USSR.
1957–1982 moving forward
The decision to replace the reliable but ageing T111 was taken in 1952 based on central planning economy of socialist government where directive was made to Tatra N.P. that it should concentrate on the manufacture of 7 to 10 ton capacity commercial vehicles and in 1956 first T137 and T138 trucks were exhibited at the Czechoslovak machinery expo in Brno. Production of the T111 continued alongside the T138 series until 1962. The T138 itself continued in production until 1969 when it was replaced by the T148, which provided an increase in power output, reliability, and product improvements.
In 1967, Tatra began production of the T813 off-road truck using its modular construction technology; the model incorporated the latest trends in commercial vehicle design, such as cab-over-engine (COE) and wide profile tyres. It featured a new V12 engine, and all military versions had a central tyre inflation/deflation system as standard equipment. The T813 was designed to tow loads up to 100 tons GCM, and it was a familiar sight on the roads in Czechoslovakia hauling large, often oversized loads.
1982–2008 T815 and beyond
The Tatra 815 was designed for extreme off-road conditions, and its road versions are derived from the off-road original. After the 53rd session of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, a directive was issued that Tatra N.P. would be the sole supplier of off-road commercial vehicles of <12 ton capacity for Eastern Bloc countries, leading to a modernization of the company and its production models. Following extensive testing at different sites, including Siberia, the type T815 was introduced in 1982, with production starting in 1983. The T815 was made of 142 main assembly components as opposed to the 219 main assembly components of its predecessor. The engine's power output was increased by up to 45% and a new COE tiltable cabin was introduced. Modular engine designs resulted in offerings of V8, V10, or V12 engines with or without a turbocharger.
T815 was upgraded to T815-2 with minor cosmetic changes and improved ergonomics and safety – the biggest change was the engine emissions accordance with the "Euro0" limits and to Euro I limits in 1993 (turbocharged V8 engine only since this time for the full legislation; the Deutz 513 air-cooled V8 engine was offered as an alternative). The TerrNo1, introduced in 1997, featured a redesigned cabin as well as better sound and heat insulation than the previous models. The TerrNo1 was based on the same frame as the previous models, so its cabin could be retrofitted to all type T815s built since 1993. In 2000, the TerrNo1 cabin was again redesigned, and for the first time, there was an option to fit liquid-cooled engines.
The TerrNo1 model introduced the 'KingFrame rear axle suspension setup. Another step in evolution for the T3B engine came with the Euro II emission limits. Following further improvements in 2003, the T815 had the new Euro III T3C V8 engine mated to all new 14-speed range+split gearbox as well as an option for engines from other suppliers such as Caterpillar, Cummins, Detroit Diesel, Deutz and MTU to be fitted. In September 2006, Tatra introduced its Euro IV compliant turbocharged T3D engine with the SCR exhaust technology, and in February 2008, the company introduced the world's first Euro V-compliant air-cooled diesel engine based on the T3D engine.
The T816 (T815-6) Armax and Force series, derivatives of Tatra 815, were introduced in 1993 after Tatra participated in the tender process to supply heavy duty off-road trucks to the UAE armed forces. After two years of bidding, the company secured a contract worth $180 million.
The resulting model became known as T816 "LIWA" (Arabic for "desert"). The 2008 model intended for military customers is the T817 (T815-7), marketed primarily toward the armed services of NATO member countries as a high-mobility heavy-duty tactical truck with a low profile cabin for C-130 Hercules transportability.
During the 1990s, Tatra decided to produce a bonneted CBE heavy-duty off-road truck to continue the successful line started with the T111. This resulted in the T163 Jamal, which was put into full production in 1999 after the first prototypes were built in 1997 and following extensive testing. The T163 was purpose-built to be a heavy-duty dump truck due to demand, and was based on Tatra's signature backbone tube chassis construction with its cabin being designed by Jiří Španihel. The truck is used mainly on construction sites and in quarries.
Tatra was also a successful bidder for the Czech Army replacement of aging Praga V3S (with the Tatra I6 air-cooled engine – one half of the T111 V12 one) medium off-road truck with T810 which technically is not a "genuine" Tatra as its origin goes back to when former Czech company ROSS, in partnership with Renault Trucks, obtained a contract to supply the army with medium size off-road trucks, the "ROSS R210 6×6". The company, however, went bankrupt in 1998, and Tatra bought full rights to the design, then modernized and reintroduced it as T810 while continuing cooperation with Renault. Under the deal Renault supplies the cabins and the engines and Praga supplied axles and transmissions for the prototypes; however, the whole project has been dogged by controversy due to the way Tatra had obtained the contract, its relationship with supplier Praga and the subsequent court case brought against it by Praga.
The serial T810 vehicles are equipped with the new design Tatra rigid axles with the WABCO disc brakes, with the ZF Ecolite transmission and Steyr drop box.
From Wikipedia’s article on Tatra (company), shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5