Tatra 603: the streamlined V8 limousine for party officials

The Tatra 603 was a large rear-engined luxury car produced by the Czechoslovak company Tatra from 1956 to 1975. It continued the line of streamlined Tatra saloons that began with the Tatra 77, and in socialist Czechoslovakia only high-ranking party officials and factory directors were driven in it.

Tatra 603 at a glance

History of the Tatra 603

Secret development

Tatra had long built luxury cars for the Czechoslovak establishment: President Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk drove a twelve-cylinder Tatra 80 and his successor Edvard Beneš a streamlined Tatra 87. After production of the Tatra 600 ended in 1952, COMECON decided that Tatra would build only trucks while luxury cars would be imported from the USSR. Tatra’s designers nevertheless continued in secret: in 1952 a group led by František Kardaus and Vladimír Popelář began work on a car called Valuta while officially developing a three-axle bus, the T400.

In 1953 the government grew frustrated with delays and poor quality of Soviet cars and ordered a new luxury Tatra. The car was to have a 3.5-litre air-cooled eight-cylinder engine and be ready by the end of 1954. The chassis was almost complete thanks to the Valuta work, but no one had anticipated such a large engine; engineer Julius Mackerle proposed the temporary use of the already developed 2.5-litre T603 engine, which was in Tatra racecars and the Tatra 87-603. The first drivable T603 was finished in 1955, several bodies were tested in wind tunnels, and the design by František Kardaus, refined by Vladimír Popelář and Josef Chalupa, was chosen for production.

Three versions

Three versions were built between 1956 and 1975, known as the T603, T 2-603 and T 3-603, although the “3-” was not an official Tatra designation. The T603-1 is easily recognised by its three headlamps beneath a clear glass cover: the outer two were fixed and the middle one turned with the front axle. In 1962 the 2-603 arrived with four headlamps in a long oval grille, a new dashboard, a rear track increased by 55 mm and a modernised engine. Power brakes came in 1966, and in 1967 the windshield was made 66 mm taller. The unofficial “3” or 2-603 II omitted the grille, placed the headlamps flush with the front, gained disc brakes on all four wheels and became a five-seater because safety belts for front-seat passengers became obligatory from 1968. In 1973 the 603 became the first Czechoslovak car with contactless thyristor ignition.

Official use

The 603 was allocated only to senior political and industrial figures. About a third of production was exported to most central and eastern European countries allied to Czechoslovakia, as well as to Cuba and China; sales to private individuals were not normally possible, although a few cars were privately owned in East Germany. Of the 20,422 cars built, mostly by hand, some were used by Czechoslovak embassies in western capitals and for a short period the car was exported to Canada and the USA. Fidel Castro was given a white 603 with air conditioning and reportedly sent Tatra a Chevrolet Corvair in return. The 603 was replaced by the Tatra 613 in 1974.

Design and features

• Three headlamps: the first version’s signature, with the centre lamp steering with the axle.
• Air-cooled V8: mounted at the rear, as on Tatra’s pre-war streamliners.
• Hand-built luxury: a car for officials, not sold to private buyers.
• Continuous updating: new grille, brakes, ignition and seating through the years.

Tatra 603 versions

• T603 (1956–1962): three headlamps under a single glass cover.
• 2-603 (1962–1968): four headlamps in an oval grille and a wider rear track.
• 2-603 II (1968–1975): flush headlamps, disc brakes and five seats.
• Late cars: power brakes from 1966 and thyristor ignition from 1973.

The 603 succeeded the Tatra 600 Tatraplan and was replaced by the Tatra 613. Its racing ancestor was the Tatra 607 Monoposto, and more cars are in the Tatra collection.

Sources

• Tatra 603, English Wikipedia: history, versions, official use, production