Tatra T97

Infobox Automobile
name=Tatra T97
manufacturer=TATRA, a. s.
production=1936–1939
508 producedCite web|url=http://www.tatra.demon.nl/cars_history_T97.htm|title=CARS & HISTORY: TATRA T97 (1936-1939)|accessdate=2008-03-12|work=tatra.demon.nl]
predecessor=
successor=


class=Mid-size car
platform=
transmission=4-speed manual
layout=RR layout
body_style=4-door saloon
engine=1.8 L 1761 cc flat-4
wheelbase= convert|2600|mm|in|1|abbr=on
length= convert|4270|mm|in|1|abbr=on
width= convert|1610|mm|in|1|abbr=on
height=convert|1450|mm|in|1|abbr=on
weight=convert|1150|kg|lb|abbr=on
designer=Hans LedwinkaThe Type 97 is a mid-class saloon car from Czechoslovakian car-maker Tatra. It was produced for a short time in the pre-war period, from 1936 to 1939.

History

The T97 was designed in 1936 as a smaller alternative to the large T87. Instead of a V8, it was powered by a 1.8-litre flat-four engine. With engine power of convert|29.4|kW|PS bhp the car could achieve top speed of convert|130|km/h|mi/h. The design was also simplified, using just two headlights instead of three, a single-piece windscreen, and an overall smaller body. Production of the car was canceled after the Nazis annexed Czechoslovakia in 1938, possibly to avoid comparison with the KdF-Wagen (see below). At that time, 508 cars were built. In 1946, production resumed, but the new communist government quickly dropped the T97 in favor of the cheaper to build and overall 'more communistic' Tatraplan, which was named after the Communist Planned Economy.

Resemblance to KdF-Wagen / Volkswagen Beetle

Both the streamlined design and the technical specifications, especially the air-cooled flat-four engine mounted in the back, give the T97 a striking resemblance to the KdF-Wagen or Volkswagen, the later Beetle. It is believed that Porsche used Tatra's designs since he was under huge pressure to design the Volkswagen quick and cheapFact|date=January 2008. According to the book "Car Wars", Adolf Hitler called the Tatra 'the kind of car I want for my highways'. [Car Wars, Jonathan Mantle, Arcade Publishing, 1997] Ferdinand Porsche later admitted 'to have looked over Ledwinka's shoulders' while designing the Volkswagen. [Car Wars, Jonathan Mantle, Arcade Publishing, 1997]
Tatra sued Porsche for damages, and Porsche was willing to settle. However, Hitler canceled this, saying 'he would settle the matter.' [ [http://www.tatra.demon.nl International Streamlined Tatra Site ] ] When Czechoslovakia was invaded by the Nazis, the production of the T97 was immediately halted, and the lawsuit dropped. After the war, Tatra reopened the lawsuit against Volkswagen. In 1961, the matter was settled when Volkswagen paid Tatra 3,000,000 Deutsche Mark in compensation.

References