Lot Ended
Description
Amendment: Reserve has been removed and this vehicle is on
sale
Ex-Narodni Technicke Museum of Prague; imported to the UK in 2014
and part of a private collection since; a wonderfully original example of this
exceedingly rare and quirky Bauhaus classic; believed one of only three in the
UK; find another!
One of the
oldest and most innovative car makers in history, the Czech firm of Tatra made
their first car way back in 1897. Their real glory days began in 1921 when Hans
Ledwinka was appointed as technical director. A true visionary, he pioneered the
use of swing half-axles, independent suspension, air-cooled monoblock engines
and tubular backbone chassis design. Combined with a deep knowledge of
aerodynamics and a flair for avant-garde styling, this resulted in the
production of some truly extraordinary machines.
Introduced in 1932 as a successor to the Type 12, the Type 57
(nicknamed ‘Hadimrska’ or ‘slippery mover’) epitomised Ledwinka’s genius for the
small-capacity ‘people’s car’. The 18hp air-cooled 1,155cc flat-four engine and
4-speed gearbox were mounted in unit above the front beam axle and combined with
the prop shaft and the differential to form an integral part of the chassis. The
suspension used two transverse leaf springs up front and one at
the back with swing half-axles mounted to the rear of the backbone
tube. The chassis was entirely independent from the bodywork which was
carried on substantial shelf brackets (see last two photos, kindly supplied
by Tatra aficionado David Pounder).
Weighing just 930kg with exemplary ride and handling, it had a good
turn of speed for the era and was produced in various two-door body styles (all
RHD) including a four-seat saloon, four-seat cabriolet and a two-seat open
roadster. Updated as the 57A in 1935 with a more conventional radiator front end
and as the 57B in 1938, it was also made as the 57K Kubelwagen for the
German Wehrmacht in World War Two before production came to an end in
1949.
Testing a Type 57 drophead coupe in 1932,
The Autocar wrote: “Anyone rash enough to make the generalisation that
the design of cars is settling down on accepted lines should find a very fine
tonic in the Tatra which has so many unusual points of design as to make it
different from every other car… The way it rides over really bad surfaces is
little short of astounding”.
A very
successful model in its day, few escaped the destruction of Europe in WW2 and
most of the surviving Type 57s are now found in museums or private collections
around the world.
Dating from 1932, this Type 57
Cabriolet is believed to be one of only three examples in the UK. It comes with
what appears to be a Czech logbook recording just a few previous keepers from
1945 – 1972 when it seems to have entered the collection of the Narodni
Technicke Museum in Prague. There are also various other official documents from
the same era but our knowledge of the Czech language is sadly too poor to
decipher them.
Our vendor’s late-father acquired
the Tatra from a Belgian collector in 2014, the purchase invoice showing that he
paid 15,000 Euros. In good running order when acquired, it has been only lightly
used during the current ownership, spending most of its time tucked away in
heated storage as part of a collection of interesting cars.
As you can see in the photos, it appears to be in highly original and
well-preserved condition, retaining its original chrome-plated tubular steel
front seats with folding backrests – an iconic design feature which inspired
Mart Stam to produce a similar chair for the Bauhaus. It was fitted with a
bespoke stainless steel exhaust system shortly after our vendor’s father
acquired it.
Not run for the last few years, it will doubtless benefit
from some precautionary recommissioning before use but it comes with some
detailed maintenance manuals (in English) which may prove useful for
this task.
A spare engine and various suspension
parts will also be made available to the winning bidder if desired, but these
will need to collected from the Ross-on-Wye area.
These ground-breaking Tatras are fascinating machines on so many
levels and it seems remarkable that they are still so humbly valued today. On
offer here from a deceased estate, this well-historied and highly original
example is worthy of close inspection and would sit well in any
collection.
Consigned by James Dennison –
07970 309907 – james.dennison@brightwells.com