Marathon Monster - Tatra T603

Eastern Block countries, when it comes to cars, tend not to deliver as much as would be hoped for. Classic examples of this would be the good old Lada (amongst its generations) and toxic Trabant 601, which, whilst loved by some nowadays, were not ‘good’ cars by definition. One manufacturer that sticks out head and shoulders above the rest, however, is Tatra. Tatra was a Czech luxury car manufacturer founded in the 1840s, and which manufactured passenger cars up until 1999, and continue to this day to build trucks and lorries. What I’m telling you about now however, is the 603. It was a luxury executive saloon car which entered production in 1956, and stayed with us until 1975 when it was replaced by the much more sedate-seeming 613.

The long-running quirk in Tatra cars is the rear-engined, rear wheel drive layout and the 603 was no exception.

The very original 1956 model was known as the 1-603, easily showing that it was the first generation. If the elegant, sweeping design didn’t already tell you, these cars were not on sale to the general public; these babies were reserved for very important Czecs. Easily distinguished by its odd three-headlight front fascia, the eldest of the 603s featured a 2.5-litre air cooled V8 engine, crammed into the space the boot would normally be and connected to a 4-speed synchromesh manual transmission. This, the ‘603F’ engine, made 99HP and 112 lb/ft of torque, astounding numbers from such a small engine all the way back then. Another interesting quirk of the car was the front bench seat, which could be folded backwards to make a gigantic double bed, to use for camping. The gen-1 model was replaced in 1962.

The second generation 603 (2-603, could you have ever guessed?) brought with it a more conventional (if slightly clumsy-looking) front end with four headlights as opposed to three. The 603F engine was replaced by a reworked version, now known as the 603G. Horsepower was up to 104, and torque received a boost from 112 to 122 lbs/ft, helping move the 1400kg land ship down the road at a slightly brisker pace. Production of the 2- ended in 1968, after six years.

This, the 2-603 II, was little more than a facelift of the previous model. The powertrain and all the important bits were identical to the 2-603, however the headlights were moved closer to the edges of the front of the car, vastly improving the look of the car and helping it age much better. Production of the 603 ended for good in 1975.

In 1967, however, the 603 made a scene on the racetrack. Having proven its might as far back as 1959 as a competent racer, it took on the 1967 Marathon de la Route endurance race. Anybody familiar with this prestigious event will know that it was, in the past, a 3500km+ road rally through Europe, and then transformed into a Nurburgring car-slaughter. To truly test man and machine, it became an 84-hour race. 84 tear-inducing hours of non-stop action. Two cars were entered by Tatra themselves. These vehicles were fitted with racing spec versions of the road cars’ 2.5 litre hemi V8 engines, producing a potent 170HP out back, though modifications made in recent years (two rather sizeable exhaust tips, or ‘double diffuser ejectors’) upped power to just shy of 200. The cars proved their robustness, coming home after the 3 and a half day race both in the overall top 5.

So, there we have it. A European luxury saloon car which is as happy as a flea on a mountain of dogs cruising through town as it is being ragged round a race track. All the way back in the ‘50s. It’s an RS6 before its time.

#blogpost