The Praga Golden was a luxury passenger car built by Českomoravská-Kolben-Daněk, automobile department Praga, in Prague-Libeň between 1935 and 1939. It was the firm’s answer to the loss of its flagship eight-cylinder Grand, discontinued in 1932 during the Depression, and it returned Praga to the top of the market with a modern six-cylinder limousine.
Praga Golden at a glance
| Maker | ČKD–Praga, Prague-Libeň |
|---|---|
| Production | 1935–1939 |
| Class | luxury six-seat limousine |
| Engine | 3,912 cc side-valve six |
| Bore × stroke | 85 × 115 mm |
| Power | 59 kW (80 hp) at 3,000 rpm |
| Wheelbase | 3,500 mm |
| Length / width / height | 5,800 / 1,800 / 1,695 mm |
| Weight | 2,140 kg ready for the road |
| Top speed | 130 km/h |
| Fuel consumption | 22 l/100 km |
| Built | about 140 (Czech sources), 181 (German source) |
The two sources disagree on total production (about 140 in Czech sources, 181 in German ones) and on the final output (80 hp against 78 hp); both figures are given rather than one chosen.
History of the Praga Golden
At the start of the 1930s the top of the Praga range was the luxury eight-cylinder Grand, but sales collapsed in the Great Depression and its production ended in 1932. Once the worst of the crisis had passed, the firm set out to return to the luxury segment. A prototype developed under the works designation Super Alfa was built in 1934, using the water-cooled six with 80 mm bore and 115 mm stroke that had been fitted to the Praga RN truck since 1933.
The finished car, now called the Praga Golden, was shown to the public at the 25th Prague Motor Show in October 1935. It was a six-seat four-door limousine with rounded bodywork and a new side-valve six. Its original swept volume of 3,468 cm³ grew during the first series to 3,912 cm³ when the bore was increased from 80 to 85 mm, and output rose from 68 hp to 78–80 hp. For the 1937 model year the car received a revised rear with a protruding boot and spoked instead of disc wheels.
Most cars were built with the factory limousine body — 130 of them according to Czech sources — while individual chassis were sent to coachbuilders. A representative convertible was built for President Beneš and a four-door convertible for Jaroslav Preiss, director of Živnobanka, and further cabriolets came from Sodomka, Petera and Uhlík. German sources put total production at 181 cars, including two prototypes in 1935, 59 series cars that year and 60 in each of 1937 and 1938; Czech sources give about 140. A price of up to 98,000 crowns made it the most expensive Praga of its day, and another 45 chassis were reportedly sent to Bremen in 1941–1942.
Design and features
- Six-cylinder side-valve engine: 3,912 cc, 80 hp, a grey-iron block with an aluminium head and a forged crankshaft in four bearings.
- Comfortable chassis: independent front suspension on transverse arms with coil springs, a live rear axle on semi-elliptic springs and a stabiliser bar.
- Hydraulic-mechanical brakes: drum brakes all round with separate circuits for the front and rear axles.
- Coachwork by the trade: beside the factory limousine, cabriolets were built for the president, for bankers and by Sodomka, Petera and Uhlík.
Praga Golden versions
- Factory limousine: six-seat four-door saloon, 5,800 mm long, the standard body.
- 1937 model: revised tail with a protruding boot and spoked wheels.
- Presidential cabriolet: a representative convertible built for Edvard Beneš.
- Preiss cabriolet: a four-door convertible for the director of Živnobanka.
- Coachbuilt cabriolets: bodies by Sodomka, Petera and Uhlík on individual chassis.
- Late chassis: 45 chassis reportedly exported to Bremen in 1941–1942.
The Golden replaced the eight-cylinder Praga Grand at the top of the range and shared its engine family with the Praga RN truck. More cars are in the Praga collection.
Video: CAS 24 fire engine on a Praga Golden chassis
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Praga Golden, Czech Wikipedia: history, engine and chassis details, dimensions
- Praga Golden, German Wikipedia: prototype, power outputs, production figures, price
