According to common mythology, the Tatra T87 was so dangerous and killed so many German officers that Adolf Hitler himself banned his officers from driving them. Yet, despite this terrible reputation, the Germans never cancelled production of this certified 'Nazi killer', which remained on sale right through the entire war. It's important to note just how significant this fact is. Under the state of emergency declared in 1940 ALL passenger car production in German was stopped. A few companies continued to trickle out production of cheap cars, such as the wood-bodied DKW F8, until 1942, but after that point, all production stopped and Germany moved to a Total War economy. Two companies escaped this ban - Mercedes-Benz and Tatra. And what sort of cars did Mercedes-Benz and Tatra manufacture? Luxury vehicles for the elite.
I don't want to belabour the point, but the mythical Nazi killing Tatra story is a total fabrication. This German owners manual from 1943 warns the owner that their car is very fast - deceptively so - and one must be alert to maintaining appropriate stopping distance. This is good advice for any driver in the 1940s - and also today. There is no warning about handling, sharp turns, roll-overs, etc, because there was no 'shocking death toll' in the officer class. It did not happen
"With the Type 87, the Ringhoffer-Tatra-Werke A.G. is placing a car in your hands that can reach a speed of 150-160 km/h. Not so many years ago this was a record speed for automobiles and in normal highway motoring for a touring car — for the non-professional driver — it is very remarkable performance. Driving in the streamlined rear-engined Tatra is so secure and comfortable, and thanks to its wind-cheating shape so smooth and quiet, that only a glance at the speedometer will show that you are traveling much faster than you thought. So, even with exceptional road-holding and first-class braking, remember to be constantly aware that you are driving a very fast car whose braking distance at 160 km/h is two and a half times as long as at 100 km/h. Therefore drive carefully and with the greatest alertness at all times!"
Very good article, Paul. I am very happy that there is a clear "hang on a second" to the Tatra internet myths.
ReplyDeleteit was a comment in reference to your other blog about the Ledwinka-Porsche patent infringement
DeleteYes, there's a couple of posts covering this on the blog. That's the Tatra versus Volkswagen lawsuit post.
ReplyDelete