Closing date July issue -> May 19
Tatra 87 (1947), museum-worthy hobby car
Pleasantly surprised by the discovery of a very special classic car, with the owner's request that the article focus exclusively on the “masterpiece” itself, without mentioning names or places. We are happy to respect that. However, there is the story of the car and of the owner's passion, who built up a small collection over the years and sold it off to make the purchase of his dream car, the Tatra 87, possible.
Streamlined shape
The distinctive features of the bodywork are the three headlights, the unique streamlined design, the low drag coefficient, and the rear fin. The air-cooled V8 engine has a displacement of 2968 cc and produces only 75 hp. However, due to the low drag coefficient, this is sufficient to propel the car to 160 km/h. Hans Ledwinka came up with unconventional ideas, such as the use of the backbone chassis, which was later also used by Porsche in the development of the VW Beetle. The striking bodywork and moments of glory of this pre-war model lasted until 1950, when production of this underrated masterpiece was discontinued.
The discovery
The Tatra 87 was offered in the club magazine of the Tatra Register Netherlands. “I have always wanted to drive this type as a hobby car.” In his view, the Czech industry before and just after the Second World War was ahead of the rest of the world. The country went into “lockdown” in 1948, when it was to become communist.
When he expressed interest, it turned out there was a second candidate who wanted to return the car to his country of origin. That wasn't ideal for the negotiating position, but such an opportunity is unlikely to come along a second time. Therefore, the decision was made to purchase, despite the fact that the requested amount was not immediately available. The seller gave three months to arrange it. Within two months, the other Tatras were sold and the 87 could be picked up.
According to the owner, those cars were mainly sold to the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland. A Tatra 11 and a Tatraplan were sold in the Netherlands.
The first owner
The first owner received the car from his ministry in January 1947. He was a minister in the cabinet of the then Czechoslovakia. The events in Czechoslovakia in 1948 are well known: the Communist Party, with the support of Russia, staged a coup and thereby gained power over the government. As a result, the minister fled to Switzerland with the Tatra in 1948. He traveled on to England and eventually to America.
The car remained behind in Switzerland and was incorrectly assigned 1948 as its first registration. The “pre-war model,” like this 87, continued to be produced until mid-1947. Changes were introduced at the end of 1947, with the owner stating the most notable modification concerned the headlights: they no longer protruded but were incorporated into the shape of the fender and the trunk lid.
From 1948, the car remained in Switzerland until 2015. In that year, the car was brought to the Netherlands and given a Dutch license plate. The owner at the time sold the car fairly quickly to Germany, to the man from whom the current owner was able to purchase it. In 2023, the car returned to the Netherlands.
My hobby car
During drives, the owner gets the most reactions to the streamlined bodywork and the characteristic rear end with the dorsal fin. “We also often have to clear up some misunderstandings: it’s not a Russian, it’s not a Saab, and it’s not a two-stroke either…”
For him, the classic car is the better combination of driving comfort, performance, and reliability. The car has not been restored during its long automotive life, but has been repaired of minor defects from time to time. And the car is still fully usable. The interior is spacious and comfortable, with excellent visibility, although rear visibility is nil due to the rear-mounted engine and the air vents in the hood.
As far as he knows, there is still one of this type in the Louwman Museum in The Hague and a second in hibernation, likely a restoration project whose owner is unknown. There were at least three others, but these have been sold abroad in recent years. He does not have data on the number of Tatra 87s still in operation in other countries, out of the total of 3056 ever produced.
Attention as a bonus
Who can say that they drive a museum-worthy classic car? Then the attention the car receives is a bonus.
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Tatra 87: read more
For those who haven't finished reading about Tatra 87 yet: these are logical follow-ups.
More photos follow below.
There is a Tatra T600 driving around in original condition. Just like the T87 from the Palmen collection with an original Dutch license plate, although that T87 was not preserved for our country and the T600 is back on Dutch roads after many years of inactivity. The second T87 our country possesses is in the Louwman Museum, and a few years ago one was sold to an English collector, so to my knowledge there are two with Dutch license plates.
I find it particularly fascinating, although I wouldn't personally warm to it in terms of looks. But just a 160 with 75 hp—that really shows how smart the thinking was back then.
What a great car that remains. Both the design and the engineering are exceptionally fine. Beautiful!
Is it the case with this Tatra that the gearbox is reversed, so that your shifting pattern is exactly the opposite of what we are used to? A magnificent icon, by the way. In my youth, there was one like this in a grey color in The Hague, close to my school. A black-and-white photo of it did appear in the AMK once.
What a fantastic car to look at! I saw them back in 1968 in Czechoslovakia, where I was visiting at the time. How would the handling of such a Tatra be? Even worse than a Beetle, due to the heavy weight of the engine? And with those swing axles, how does that drive? I once rode as a passenger in a Tatra 603, and that experience was pretty much the opposite of a Citroën DS.
Incidentally, in 1965 Volkswagen paid DM 1000.000 to settle a lawsuit with the Ringhoffer family. They had already sued VW before the war, but the Germans naturally put a stop to it.
The Tatra Museum in Koprivnice is really worth a visit!
It's impressive how groundbreaking that thing actually was. Air-cooled V8, aerodynamics, backbone chassis, and yet from that era. Then I can understand why someone would sell other cars for it.
A Tatra like that remains in a league of its own. That fin alone.