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Tatra 603 - heavy caliber for individualists

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Created on March 1, 1973

Text:

Wolfgang Schmarbeck

Photos:

Archiv

38

Archiv

38

Tatra 603 (1961) - 160 km/h fast East German sedan with rear engine

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Tatra 603 (1956) - characteristic looking sedan

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Tatra 603 (1955) - with characteristic front with the three headlights

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Tatra 603 (1955) - the newly introduced six-seater

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Tatra 603 (1956) - with the three central headlights behind glass

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Tatra 603 (1956) - stately sedan

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Tatra 603 (1956) - stretched lines

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Tatra 603 (1956) - Continuing the tradition from the pre-war period

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Tatra 603 (1956) - View of the V8 engine installed in the rear

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Tatra 603 (1956) - the removed V8 engine with two fuel pumps

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Tatra 603 (1956) - the V8 engine

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Tatra 603 (1956) - Model 1957 - Rear detail

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Tatra 603 (1956) - Presentation of the 1957 model

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Tatra 603 (1956) - 1957 model, the spare wheel was conveniently stowed under the trunk

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Tatra 603 (1956) - 1957 model, view into the engine compartment

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Tatra 603 (1956) - Plan drawings of the sedan and the engine

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Tatra 603 (1956) - cross-sectional drawing of the 160 kg V8 engine with 90-degree angle

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Tatra 603 (1958) - rear axle construction with gearbox

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Tatra 603 (1957) - Presentation at the IAA Frankfurt 1957

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Tatra 603 (1957) - at the IAA Frankfurt 1957

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Tatra 603 (1958) - three front lights under common glazing in the streamlined bow - Geneva Motor Show 1958

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Tatra 603 (1958) - the front headlights arranged behind glass, seen at the 1958 Geneva Motor Show

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Tatra 603 (1958) - Rear, seen at the Geneva Motor Show 1958

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Tatra 603 (1958) - beautiful beach scene with Schänen

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Tatra 603 (1958) - Silhouette

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Tatra 603 (1958) - front view

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Tatra 603 (1958) - with two-piece rear window

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Tatra 603 (1958) - rear view

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Tatra 603 (1961) - the large trunk at the front also offered enough space for two women

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Tatra 603 (1971) - one of the last built

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Tatra 2-603 (1962) - successor with new headlight arrangement

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Tatra 2_603 (1963) - makes for happy moments

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Tatra 2-603 (1963) - equipped for a lot of luggage

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Tatra 2-603 (1967) - at the 84-hour marathon on the Nürburgring, places 4 and 5

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Tatra 613 (1974) - the Vignale-bodied successor at the 1974 Belgrade Motor Show

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Tatra 613 (1970) - early prototype, more angular and modern

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Tatra 613 (1971) - View into the modernized cockpit

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Tatra 613 (1976) - hardly changed - Geneva Motor Show 1976

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Summary

The Tatra 603 was the Czech carmaker's first major success after the war and it combined traditional concepts with new approaches. With its rear-mounted V8 engine, it competed against the prestige limousines of the West, and it certainly had its merits. The Tatra 603 was built for almost 20 years. This historical report tells the development and production history of the Tatra 603 and shows it in many pictures and sales brochures of the time.

This article contains the following chapters

Completely new design
US comfort and lush curves
Unorthodox displays and long-term protection
Rear engine and swing axle
Advanced engine design
Two oil coolers, one starting crank
Always keep an eye on maintenance
Driving characteristics that took some getting used to
Rare in this country
Model upgrades and increased performance
Motorsport successes
New development - for the museum
From the 603 to the 613

Estimated reading time: 9min

Preview (beginning of the article)

At the final race of the International Six-Day Motorcycle Tour in Gottwaldov in the fall of 1955, a prototype of the Tatra 603 was shown to the public for the first time. The newcomer attracted little attention in the West. In Czechoslovakia, on the other hand, the 603 was regarded as the result of a tenacious further development of the design direction that had once been initiated by Ledwinka at the traditional factory in Kopfivnice. Looking back today, the conditions under which this automobile was created can be described as difficult, to put it mildly. After 1945, the pre-war eight-cylinder Type 87 and the Tatraplan had still been built, but the Eastern Bloc needed a counterpart to Mercedes. Series production of the Tatra 603 began in 1957, with an initial production quota of two cars per day.

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