PRAGA

Praga originated in the Pražská továrna na automobily, established in 1907 as a joint venture between the First Bohemian-Moravian Machine Works and the Ringhoffer works. Its first cars were built under licence from Isotta Fraschini, Charron and Renault, and the marque took the Latin name for Prague. František Kec became chief designer in 1911; his Praga V truck was tested by the army that year and led to the first military orders, and he later became the factory’s director and general director.

Praga, Škoda and Tatra were Czechoslovakia’s three main car makers between the wars. Praga led domestic sales in the late 1920s and early 1930s, and by October 1931 had built and sold 10,000 of its small Piccolo, introduced in 1924. An air raid on 25 March 1945 largely destroyed the Libeň factory, the last passenger cars were built in 1947, and from 1953 the V3S six-wheel-drive truck was produced. Today the company makes karts, racing and road supersports cars.