Tatra T600 Tatraplan
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Tatra T600 Tatraplan
The Only Fully-Enveloping Mass-Produced Teardrop Car

Images : all rights reserved © www.tatraplan.co.uk  

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Paul Jaray (1889–1974): 'Ideal streamlined form for a body close to the ground', c. 1920, model.
Courtesy of ETH Library, History of Science Collection, Zurich, Switzerland





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Tatra T600 Tatraplan matches Jaray's ideal form the closest of any other serially produced automobile.

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Tatra T600 Tatraplan


Manufacturer: Tatra, národní podnik, Kopřivnice, Moravia, Czechoslovakia, now the Czech Republic 
Design: Josef Chalupa, Vladimír Popelář (1915-97), František Kardaus (1908-86), Hans Ledwinka (1878-1967)
Engine and gearbox design: Jiří Klos (1921-2009)

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First Tatra T107 'Ambrož' prototype mock-up, December 1946.

Further full-size mock-up study of Tatra T107 prototype, early 1947.
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Second Tatra T107 'Josef' prototype, March 1947.

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'Josef' prototype with the final T2–107 mock-up and prototype, and T97, 1947. The front of the 1947 T2–107 body to the post between the front and rear doors was designed by František Kardaus of Studio Burjanek a Remo (B a R), the first industrial designer involved with Tatra car bodies proposals. First introduced at Prague Autosalon, 18-28 October, 1947. The car was initially named 'Autoplan' then Kardaus, it is claimed, named it 'Tatraplan', the name registered on 11 December 1947.

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T2–107 Tatraplan 1947 (T2–107, type designation changed to T600 [T=Type 600] at the end of 1947).
Serial manufacture: 1948–1951 in Tatra, Kopřivnice, 1951–1952 in Škoda, Mladá Boleslav.    
Number made including 2 (T107) + 5 (T2-107) prototypes: 6342 (4242 in Kopřivnice, 2100 in Mladá Boleslav).
Exported numbers of units from Kopřivnice only (Mladá Boleslav figures in preparation):
Austria: 435, China: 200, West Germany: 195, Sweden: 184 (LHD only), Finland: 248, Canada: 168, Belgium: 167, Switzerland: 153, Hungary: 146, USSR: 126, Poland: 97, Yugoslavia: 76, The Netherlands: 60, East Germany: 46, Egypt: 45, Morocco: 29, Albania: 20, Romania: 17, Portugal: 1, Australia (RHD): tbc, Indonesia (RHD): tbc, Ceylon (RHD): tbc, Pakistan (RHD): tbc, Malaya (RHD): tbc, Kenya (RHD): tbc, Cyprus (RHD): tbc, Ethiopia (RHD): tbc, South Africa (RHD): tbc, Sudan: tbc, Argentina: tbc.
Special exports for use by Czechoslovak and East block embassies: tbc.

First series manufacture started on 24 June 1948.
Initially the selling price was established at 130,000 Czechoslovak crowns (approx £930 / US $2600 in 1948),
soon increasing to 140,000 Czechoslovak crowns (approx £1,000 / US $2800).

Prototypes:
T107 two units: 70.020  – 70.021, each with a 1729 cc 80 x 86 with an axial fan on vertical shaft, one carburettor engine, T2-107 five units: 70.022  – 70.026 each with a 1952 cc 85 x 86 with an axial fan on vertical shaft, one carburettor engine.
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First series body numbers: 70.027 – 70.876, s
ubsequent series: 70.877 – 76.867 (Kopřivnice, 1948: 90, 1949: 1506, 1950: 2025, 1951: 614 units) [70.877 – 70.926, 71.029 – 71.032, 71.035, 71.037 – 71.044, 71.047 – 71.055, 71.060 – 71.070, 71.072 – 71.082, 71.086 – 72.281, 74.730 – 75.126, – 76.867], officially the last car was produced there on 25 May, 1951 although some units might have been made there up to October 1951 such as 76.411 and 76.408 (some numbers were used out of chronological sequence).
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25th to 29th series (Škoda numbered series): 179.001 – 181.100 (Mladá Boleslav, 1951: 236, 1952: 1,864 units) from August 1951 to May 1952.

Another source gives the following information from Kopřivnice production:
1. series: 70.027 – 70.126 June 1948 – January 1949, 2. series: 70.127 – 70.626 January 1949 – July 1949,
3. series: 70.627 – 71.126 June 1949 – October 1949, 4. series: 71.127 – 72.126 November 1949 – July 1950, 
5. series: 74.733 – 75.732 May 1950 – March 1951, 6. series: 75.733 – 76.732 February 1951 – October 1951,
7. series: 76.733 – 76.867 April 1951 – September 1951

First series 70.027 – 70.876 engine numbers: 600.1.85.48 to 600.853.85.49 had a 1952 cc 85 mm bore, 86 mm stroke flat four engine with an axial fan on vertical shaft and one carburettor; from body number 70.877 engine numbers  600.854.85.49  to  600.5103.85.51 had an engine with a fan on horizontal shaft and two carburettors. The manufacturing label stated: 'Tatra, národní podnik, závod Kopřivnice'.

Škoda Mladá Boleslav manufacture series 179.001 – 181.100 had the latter engines with the same engine numbers as the body numbers and the manufacturing label stated: 'Automobilové závody, národní podnik, závod Mladá Boleslav - ČSR'.

Engine number explained: first number: Tatra type, second number: engine number, third number: cylinder bore, forth number: year of manufacture. If the manufacturing label is missing, the body number can be found on the side of the engine block and/or under the front bonnet along the top edge next to the fuel tank.   
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Engine: flat four cylinder (boxer) OHV, petrol, four stroke, at rear
Bore: 85 mm
Stroke: 86 mm
Capacity: 1952 cc
Power output: 52 bhp (RAC tax horse-power rating: 17.9)
​Torque: 118 Nm (12 mkg, 89 ft/lb) / 2000 rev
Compression ratio: 6:1
Maximum revs: 4000 1/min  
Acceleration: 0-80km/h (50mph) 22 sec
Valve clearances: inlet: 0,1 mm - exhaust: 0,15 mm
Carburettors: downdraught Zenith IMF / Solex 32 UBIP, 2 no.
Firing order: 1, 4, 3, 2 (RH front 1, RH 2 rear, LH 3 front, LH 4 rear - looking from the rear)
Sparking plugs: PAL 14/175, Champion I 10 con, Bosch 175 T1 (modern: NGK BP6HS), 0.5 - 0.7mm electrode clearance
Cooling: forced air draught by axial cooling fan
V belt: 17 x 850mm, allow 10mm deflection

The petrol engine has aluminium cylinder heads and hemispherical combustion chambers. Valves are not inclined as much as in the Tatra T87 and are actuated by crossed rockers and operated by aluminium push-rods from a single camshaft placed in the aluminium crankcase below the crankshaft. The crankcase is split in the plane of the crankshaft. Both halves in which the main bearings are mounted are bolted together. The camshaft is driven from the front end of the crankshaft through gear pinions and the ignition distributor through worm gears. The distributor shaft incorporates a fuel pump drive cam.

The lubricating oil pump is driven by the front end of the camshaft, the supply of oil being stored in the finned crankcase. Oil is forced from the pump through the oil cooler mounted in the front part of the car and, through a multi-edge cleaner to the lubricated parts. By-pass pressure valves are provided at the cooler and cleaner.

The short-stroke engine develops 26 bhp per litre which is the same specific output as that of the Tatra T87 (8 cyl, 2,958 cc, 75 bhp). Originally the engine had an axial fan with a vertical shaft driven by a bevel gear. On the later design a horizontal axis fan was mounted directly to the dynamo shaft driven by a V belt. The long manifold piping of the original design was eliminated by using two carburettors and performance increased to 52 bhp.

Clutch: dry one-plate
Gear shift: steering column mounted
Gearbox: mechanical 4-speed
Gears: four with synchronisation on 2, 3 and 4, plus reverse
Front springing: independent, by two transverse leaf-springs
Rear springing: independent, by torsion bars  
Shock absorbers: front and rear telescopic hydraulic dampers
Steering: rack and pinion
Brakes: drums, hydraulic on all four wheels 
Brake fluid: Dot 3 yellow 
Engine oil: 9.5 litres including in the front cooler, (5.5 litres in the engine) mineral oil SAE 15W-50 or similar only, operating sump oil temperature: 60 to 75 degrees C
Gearbox oil: 3.5 litres, mineral oil SAE 90 or similar only.
Engine oil consumption: 0.2 litres per 100km
Engine oil pressure: 4 – 5 atm. (bar)
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Body: streamlined fully self-supporting steel monocoque, smooth underside with welded-in backbone member; export units had rear fender skirts/spats made in aluminium.
Before and during the Second World War Tatra Works measured only 1:5 and 1:10 models at the Aircraft Research and Testing Institute Praha–Letňany, at German Research Institute for Aviation Adlershof, at University of Stuttgart, and 1:1 at VW Klima wind tunnel (1979):

Body drag coefficient Cd (Cx):
​Tatra T600:
1:1 = 0.32 (tunnel), 0.33 (road), 1:5 = 0.24 (tunnel) 
For comparison: 
Tatra T57: 1:5 model = 0.735 [1936]; 
Tatra T77: 1:5 model = 0.245 [1936], 1:1 = 0.38 [estimated];
Tatra T77a: 1:1 = 0.36 [estimated]; (0.212 quoted in other sources for T77a in fact relates to T87 model test, although the source cannot be ascertained, see below!!!)
Tatra T87: 1:10 model = 0.251, 1:5 model = 0.244, 1:1 = 0.36; (Erich Ledwinka quoted 0.212 for T87 in his lecture about Hans Ledwinka, see ‘Leben und Werk des Automobilpioniers Dr. tech. h.c. Hans Ledwinka’, as spoken by Erich Ledwinka at Akademischen Feier der Technischen Universität Wien on May 19th, 1978, published in Blätter für Technikgeschichte 39/40 Heft, Springer Verlag, Wien 1980, p 151.)
Tatra T97: 1:10 model = 0.259
Percentages of total drag created by: the frontal part of car 32%, the rest of the exterior 33%, the car underside 35% (!!!)
Hence the importance of smooth underside in streamlined car body designs.

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Body types: saloon (Tatra T600, rear engine), ambulance and pick-up (Tatra T201, front engine)





Body colour range available between 1948 – 1951:
light blue, dark blue, black, light green, green, dark green, red, dark red, beige, grey, silver metallic grey, ivory, light brown, brown, metallic blue, metallic light blue, metallic green, metallic red, metallic silver, yellow (special racing colour)
combinations of body with roof and bonnets: ivory and light brown, ivory and dark red, metallic silver and navy blue, metallic silver and dark red, light blue and dark metallic blue.
Interior cloth colours: light red, light grey-brown, light green, red, green, blue, grey-brown.
Interior leather colours for export only: beige, brown, red, green.
In some units seats had a combination of leather and cloth.

In the latter series the chrome work and wheel hubs were supplied by the factory with red paint highlighted 'Tatraplan' signs and painted grooves on bumpers.

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Tatraplan rear lid shape history:
70.027 – 70.876: pointed rear lid, flat glass, part 600.21.0000 (1948-9)
70.877 – 75.732: pointed rear lid, flat glass, part 600.21.0100 (1950-51)
75.733 (some units even with earlier numbers) – 76.867: rounded rear lid, shaped glass, part 600.21.0100/2 (1951)
(all above at Tatra Kopřivnice, the rounded lid already designed and installed at Tatra)
179.001 – 181.100: rounded rear lid, shaped glass, part 13-001-98831 (1951–52 Škoda Mladá Boleslav)
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The internal glazed panel size in the rear bulkhead and the lift-able panel above the rear seat increased when the rounded rear lids with larger window openings were installed to improve the rear view.

It is recommend to fix another low positioned rear view mirror onto the centre of dashboard to gain a long-distance rear view from the driver's position.
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Electrics:  
Coil: Magneton 12V CED 01 
Starter: PAL 1.8 12V, left-turning
Regulator: Magneton RAD 02 12V 150W 
Battery: Varta 12V 75 Ah 
Distributor: Magneton VBG 08, right-turning, points gap: 0.3 - 0.4mm
Dynamo: Magneton 12V 150W 
Bulbs: main beam headlamp bulbs 12V 35/35W BA 20d
Radio: Tesla Omikron 513 BV 12V was fitted to order, cost when new 9500Kc (approx 7.5% of the car price!)


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Dashboard instruments: 
white face, grey figures with black outlines etched on flat glass, by VDO / Křižík (K), Autopal (AP), PAL, or Technometra (T) (1948–51, approx. 4000 units), fuel and oil temperature gauges by PAL or VDO, white face, flat glass.
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white face, brown centre, brown figures printed on metal face, convex glass, by Autopal (AP) or Technometra (T), Praha (1951–52, approx. 2340 units, used in the last Kopřivnice series and  Škoda production), fuel and oil temperature gauges by Technometra, white face, brown centre, convex glass.



Clock movement: Cortebert (Switzerland), 8 day
See the photo below for the two types of instruments


1 horn
2 steering wheel
3 speedometer
4 choke
5 wipers switch
6 gear lever
7 rear view mirror
8 sun shield
9 instruments switch
10 indicators switch
11 wipers
12 ashtray
13 lighter
14 clock
15 ventilator control
16 clock winder
17 centralized lubrication pedal
18 choke cable
19 gas pedal
20 brake pedal
21 fuel stop cock
22 headlight switch
23 clutch pedal
24 handbrake
25 dynamo and ignition control lamp
26 ignition key
27 oil pressure control lamp
28 fuel gauge
29 starter button
30 sump oil temperature gauge

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Tyre size: 6,00"R – 16", radial, front: 1.5 Atm, rear: 1.8 Atm.
Rim size: E 4,00" – 16"
Front and Rear Track: 1300 mm
Wheelbase: 2700 mm
Overall length: 4540 mm
Overall width: 1670 mm
Overall height: 1520mm
Fuel consumption: 11 litres / 100 km (26 miles per gallon) 
Weight: 1200 kg
Top speed: 130 km/h (80 mph)
Tank capacity: 56 litres
Road clearance: 225 mm

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Number of seats: 5–6


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Interior heating: warm air from the engine in double floor channels exiting in grilles under the front seats. The pipework from the engine compartment to the double floor channels is shown shaded.

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The front boot has space for two spare wheels – the extra weight improves front to rear weight ratio.
Front to rear weight ratio: 44% to 56% (empty), 42.8% to 57.2% (with full load of 405kg).


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Tatraplan derivatives:

1949 Tatra T201 ambulance (Sodomka/Karosa body), later series front engine, 1 unit (1949 original body damaged and in an accident and then reconstructed with varied details in 1950), front engine on central tubular chassis driving rear wheels.

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1949 Tatra T201 'Dakota' pick-up prototype with first series front engine on central tubular chassis driving rear wheels, 1 unit. Used as a service vehicle to accompany Tatra rally teams.

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1949 Special Tatraplan T201 front engine prototype van body in the Tatra factory workshop, designed by Josef Klejch at Karosa, Vysoké Mýto. 1 unit, it survives in the Czech Republic. Another unit possibly made and later converted to a police vehicle in 'Šťastnou cestu' film (1962), tbc.  

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 1949–53 Tatra T600D Tatraplan Diesel, with two types of diesel engine, 2 – 3 units?

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1949 Tatra T601 Tatraplan Monte Carlo Coupé, 1 unit, in various aluminium body versions, various engines installed, the latest version with a T603 A 2545cc engine.

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1949 Tatraplan Cabriolet, Sodomka body, 1 unit.

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 1949 Tatra T602 Tatraplan Sport, 2 units. 

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Competitions:  
Factory prepared racing Tatraplans, usually painted yellow or grey, had sealed rear doors without handles to lighten and stiffen the car and engines with increased compression ratio 6.8:1 with two dual Solex 30 AAIP carburettors, new 260 degrees camshaft, valves and rocker arms resulting in increased power to 67bhp, otherwise the cars retained normal serially produced specification.

1948 Jeseníky, Czechoslovakia: gold medal, driver: Alois Kopečný. 
1949 Jeseníky, Czechoslovakia: first, third and fourth places, winning drivers: Josef Chovanec / Antonín Kubíček. 
1949 Velká Jihočeská soutěž, Czechoslovakia: first place in both sections, winning drivers: Adolf Veřmiřovský and Bruno Sojka. 
1949 Tatranská automobilová a motocyklová soutěž, Starý Smokovec, Czechoslovakia: first in 2000cc category: winning drivers in light brown Tatraplans: Josef Chovanec / Jaroslav Pavelka, Adolf Veřmiřovský / Augustin Jeřábek, Alois Kopečný / Antonín Kubíček.
1949 Internationale Österreichische Alpenfahrt: 1056 km, first four places gained in yellow Tatraplans; out of 22 cars in 2000 cc Touring car class, drivers team: 117: Karel Vrdlovec / Vladimír Formánek (Alpine Cup winner), 114: Jaroslav Pavelka / Josef Chovanec, 115: Adolf Veřmiřovský / Ing Schedivý, 116: Alois Kopečný / Antonín Kubíček, team manager Josef Veřmiřovský. 
1950 Rallye Interlaken: third and fourth places, Kopečný / Kubíček, Pavelka / Zahradníček.
1951 Internationale Österreichische Alpenfahrt: 1375 km, first in Touring car class: Alois Kopečný / Jan Kubíček,  (Alpine Cup winner). 
1951 Langa-Langa Gilgil, Nairobi: winner of its class, equal time to the fastest.
10/06/1951 80 km race, Bosque de Chapultepec in Mexico City: first place, 42m 41s, 112.341 km/h, driver: Jean Trévoux. 
1953 Coronation Safari: Kenya, Uganda & Tanganyika: first in class C, drivers: Vic R. Preston Sr and D. P. Marwaha.
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