Tatra T97

 

Manufacturer	TATRA, a. s.
Production	1936–1939 508 produced
Predecessor	Tatra V570 Tatra T77A
Successor	Tatra T600
Class	Mid-size car
Body style	limousine
Layout	RR layout
Engine	1.8 L 1761 cc Overhead cam flat-4
Transmission	4-speed manual
Wheelbase	2,600 mm (102.4 in)
Length	4,270 mm (168.1 in)
Width	1,610 mm (63.4 in)
Height	1,450 mm (57.1 in)
Curb weight	1,150 kg (2,500 lb)
Designer(s)	Hans Ledwinka, Erich Ledwinka, Erich Übelacker

Tatra 97 in Kopřivnice

 

The Type 97 is a mid-class saloon car from Czechoslovak car-maker Tatra. It was produced for a short time in the pre-war period, from 1936 to 1939.

Streamlined Tatras

• Tatra V570 1931, 1933
• Tatra T77 1933-1938
• Tatra T87 1936-1950
• Tatra T97 1936-1939
• Tatra T600 Tatraplan 1946-1952
• Tatra T603 1956-1975

History

The T97 was designed in 1936 as a smaller alternative to the large T87. Instead of a V8, it was powered by a 1.8-litre flat-four engine. With engine power of 29.4 kilowatts (40.0 PS; 39.4 bhp) the car could achieve top speed of 130 kilometres per hour (81 mph). The design was also simplified, using just two headlights instead of three, a single-piece windscreen, and an overall smaller body. Production of the car was canceled after the Nazis annexed Czechoslovakia in 1938, possibly to avoid comparison with the KdF-Wagen (see below). At that time, 508 cars were built. In 1946, production resumed, but the new communist government quickly dropped the T97 in favor of the more cheaper to build and overall 'more democratic' Tatraplan, which was named after the Socialist Planned Economy.

Resemblance to KdF-Wagen / Volkswagen Beetle

Both the streamlined design and the technical specifications, especially the air-cooled flat-four engine mounted in the back, give the T97 a striking resemblance to the KdF-Wagen of Volkswagen, which later became the Beetle. It is believed that Porsche used Tatra's designs since he was under huge pressure to design the Volkswagen quickly and cheaply. According to the books Tatra - The Legacy of Hans Ledwinka and Car Wars, Adolf Hitler said of the Tatra 'this is the car for my roads'.

Ferdinand Porsche later admitted 'to have looked over Ledwinka's shoulders' while designing the Volkswagen.

Tatra sued Porsche for damages, and Porsche was willing to settle. However, Hitler canceled this, saying he 'would settle the matter.' When Czechoslovakia was invaded by the Nazis, the production of the T97 was immediately halted, and the lawsuit dropped. After the war, Tatra reopened the lawsuit against Volkswagen. In 1967, the matter was settled when Volkswagen paid Tatra 3,000,000 Deutsche Mark in compensation.

T97 interior

T97 rear view

Aircooled boxer-4 mounted in the rear.

Source: Internet

1938 Tatra T97

One of the most advanced designs of the pre-World War II era came from Czechoslovakia.

Czech-based Koprivnicka vozovka evolved into Nesseldorfer Waggonfabrik and was renamed Tatra in 1927 after the country’s prominent mountain range. Tatra vehicles became known for innovative engineering and high quality. The engineer largely responsible was Hans Ledwinka, who had worked under automotive and aircraft pioneer Edmund Rumpler. Ledwinka was an early proponent of air-cooled engines, a rigid backbone chassis, and independent suspension.

The Tatra was a perfect platform for the new emphasis on streamlining being pioneered by aircraft and Zeppelin designer Paul Jaray. A short front end flowed to a curved roofline that gracefully sloped into a long fastback tail. When integrated fenders and a full undertray were added, wind resistance was dramatically reduced. A prominent rear dorsal fin ensured high-speed stability.

Tatra was arguably the first production car to take advantage of effective streamlining. The T97 used a horizontally opposed, rear-mounted, four cylinder engine with a rigid backbone chassis, four-wheel independent suspension and hydraulic drum brakes. Four were built in 1937, followed by 237 in 1938, and 269 in 1939. Top speed was 80.78 mph, which was truly remarkable for a 40-hp car at the time.
According to automobile designer Raffi Minasian, “The Tatra T97 was one of the most interesting and well-developed engineering and design intersections of the Deco period.” It may have lacked the usual flamboyance of the traditional French coachbuilders of the period, but it manifested the expression of Art Deco design as a merger of science and industry where form was dictated by function.

Source: Internet