1939 Tatra T57B Brochure

Tatra is rightly renown for its streamlined, rear-engine supercar range, but these were never the company's bread and butter. For its entire history Tatra was primarily a truck and commercial vehicle manufacturer, building everything from heavy trucks, buses, trams and railway cars. While the T87 and others drew the attention of the crowds, its passenger car range was in fact dominated by the relatively conventional - at least in comparison to the T87 et al - front-engined, air-cooled budget sedan cars. The T57, introduced in 1932, was the company's most successful vehicle, produced in far greater numbers than any other vehicle they ever produced.

The T57 followed the same template as the pioneering T12, but with a larger four-cylinder air-cooled engine (the T11 and T12 had a twin-cylinder). As originally built, the T57 looked externally identical to its predecessors, but it received a substantial facelift in 1935 and was redesignated the T57A. The modernized T57A looked far more conventional with a scalloped false radiator grill, steel body and much improved fittings.

In 1938 the model recieved another facelift, with a slightly more conventional false radiator grill. This model, the T57B would remain in production until 1949.

The military version Tatra T57K Kubelwagen: https://tatrat600.blogspot.com/2022/09/1941-tatra-t57k-kubelwagen.html