Legendary Tatra 613

Tatra 613 wrote one of the longest and most colourful chapters of our automotive history. It was born in the second half of the 1960s during a period of social liberation and its concept, with an air-cooled V-8 engine mounted above the rear axle, was beyond anything that was common in the world at the time. It became the first Czechoslovak car with a body designed in Italy, in the renowned Turin studio Vignale, and as time has shown, this choice was the right one.

The book is mainly devoted to Tatra passenger cars of the last generation, types T 613 and T 700 with air-cooled V8 engine over the rear axle. It is reminiscent of all versions of the six-track from 1969 to 1997, including the luxury versions of the T 613 Special, the T 613 K parade semi-cabriolet and ambulances. It also charts the diverse range of vehicles powered by the T 613 V8, the MTX Tatra V8, Ecorra Sport V8, Graphite and AML Lanta super sports cars, not forgetting the distinctive Hill Cooper trikes.

The political rulers, who in the seventies and eighties liked to use the comfort and speed of the sixty-thirteen, repeatedly ordered the limitation of its production and prevented its further technical development. The Tatra 613 survived, but after the fall of the communist regime in November 1989 it had no chance to make a significant impact.