Tatra 613 History

Work on the T603's replacement began in 1968; the Tatra 613 entered production in 1974 with a body styled by Vignale of Italy — an unusual commissioning of Western design talent by a communist-bloc manufacturer. Beneath the new body, the rear-engined, air-cooled formula was retained, but the engine was an all-new 3.5-litre unit with four overhead camshafts producing 168 PS, later rising to 200 PS in fuel-injected form, with a claimed top speed of 230 km/h (143 mph).

Like its predecessor, the T613 was built almost exclusively for government use — high-ranking party officials, state security services, and factory directors. It succeeded the T603 as the official car of the Czechoslovak state and, after 1989, continued in production under the new democratic government, used by officials who had simply replaced their predecessors. Over its 22-year run, the 613 was updated through five major variants (613 through 613-4 Mi Long), with approximately 11,000 units built — a substantial number for a hand-built luxury car in a small-market economy.