Tatra Model History

Czech Republic · founded 1850

One of the world's oldest continuously operating vehicle manufacturers — the Czech maker famous for streamlined, rear-engined, air-cooled cars that influenced the Volkswagen Beetle, with passenger-car production running from 1897 to 1999.

Models

Tatra 11

The 1923 car that introduced Tatra's signature backbone-tube chassis and swing-axle rear suspension — the technical foundation of every subsequent Tatra.

Compact car · 1923–1927
Tatra 77

The world's first production aerodynamically designed car — a rear-engined, air-cooled V8 fastback conceived with Zeppelin engineer Paul Jaray.

Luxury car · 1934–1938
Tatra 87

Tatra's definitive pre-war streamliner — a lighter, faster refinement of the T77 with a 2.9-litre rear V8 that could exceed 160 km/h and influenced Porsche's Beetle design.

Luxury car · 1936–1950
Tatra 603

The hand-built status car of communist Czechoslovakia — a rear-engined air-cooled luxury sedan reserved for party officials, 20,422 built over 19 years.

Luxury car · 1956–1975
Tatra 613

A Vignale-styled rear-engined flagship with a 3.5-litre DOHC air-cooled V8, the longest-running post-war Tatra passenger car at approximately 11,000 units.

Luxury car · 1974–1996
Tatra 700

Tatra's final passenger car — a restyled 613 successor with a V8 available up to 4.4 litres, of which only about 75 were built before Tatra exited the car market.

Luxury car · 1996–1999

Other makes