Country: Czechoslovakia
Date: 5 October 1948
Subject: Tatra 87 Automobile
Pages: 1
Comment: Sometimes "intelligence gathering" involves nothing more than photocopying a brochure it seems.
Wednesday, 4 December 2024
1948 CIA Report - Tatra 87 Automobile
Central Intelligence Agency
Country: Czechoslovakia
Date: 5 October 1948
Subject: Tatra 87 Automobile
Pages: 1
Comment: Sometimes "intelligence gathering" involves nothing more than photocopying a brochure it seems.
Country: Czechoslovakia
Date: 5 October 1948
Subject: Tatra 87 Automobile
Pages: 1
Comment: Sometimes "intelligence gathering" involves nothing more than photocopying a brochure it seems.
Saturday, 30 November 2024
1950 - CIA Report - Koprivnice Plant of the Tatra National Enterprise
Central Intelligence Agency
Country: Czechoslovakia
Date: 8 September 1950
Subject: Koprivnice Plant of the Tatra National Enterprise
Pages: 3
No of Encls: Nil
Place Acquired: [redacted]
Supplement to report: 25X1A
[Introduction redacted]
l. Tatra National Enterprise controls the Koprivnice (Neeseldorf) P50/O46) factory (Formerly the Ringhoffer-Tatra-Plant), as well as plants in Butovice (O51/L78), Praha-Smichov, Kolin (O51/M38) and Ceska Lipa (O51/F75). The factory employs 6,500 production workers and 700 office workers. Personnel at the Koprivnice plant include:
a. General Manager: Ing. Hojecky, a Communist, 40 years old.
b. Manager of the Automobile Department: Ing. Skarka, not organised politically. His deputy is Ing. Kargele.
c. Chief Engineer of the Automobile Dept: Ing. Jan Drozd, the most able technician in the plant.
d. Commercial Manager: Ing. Karel Chalupa, a former Social Democrat.
e. Chief of Personnel: Dockal, a Communist, cadre man of the plant.
f. Chief of the Sales Dept.: Jan Hykel, a Communist.
g. Chief of the Car-bodies Department: Jan Heske.
h. Chief of the Foundry: Ing. Cervinka.
i. Chief of the Railroad Car Department: Chief Engineer Bezdeko since the end of 1949 he has been made manager of the Butovice plant ot Tatra.
j. Chief of the Repair Shop: Staff Capt. B. Bucek, a member of the Czech Army of the West.
k. Chief of the Central Sales Office in Praha: Ing. Brecka
1. Chief's of the Development Section: Ing. Dr. Mimra and Ing. Vyska
2. lt is reported that there is an agent of the MVD at the Koprivnice plant, a Russian, Ivanov, who is the leader of the Lenin School located in the Afrika Restaurant in Koprivnice. Plant employees in the lower categories (A. 1-4, M 1-4, and T 1-4) attend a two weeks course at this school.
3. Production at the Koprivnice plant includes the following types:
a. 57b "Hadimrska" About 100 or these combat cars were produced in 1947 for the Ministry of National Defense. The same model was made during the war for the Wehrmacht. By the end of 1947, 3,000 cars of this Model were produced, and it is reported that production of the model has been dropped by the plant.
b. 87. A prototype of this eight-cylinder limousine was completed during 1949. Orders for 250 cars of this model have been received from abroad; Austria is supplying Tatra with some of the steel necessary for the filling of these orders.
c. Tatraplan. Eight to eleven Tatraplan cars are produced at the plant per day. About 75 percent of these are exported to Austria, Belgium and Switzerland; only a few are sent to USSR.
d. 115. This model is produced by strengthening the underbody and enlarging the cab of model 114 truck. It is being produced at the rate of two to three per day for domestic use.
e. 111. This truck is powered by a V Diesel engine. A large car is also produced in the same model, primarily for export to the USSR by railroad via Cierna pod Copu.
f. The prototype of a new type of combat car is scheduled to be completed by the development section in Praha-Smichov by the end of January 1950. It is to be powered by a new type 50 hp engine, and will have six wheels. The rear axle will be of the design long used by Tatra.
g. The railroad car department is completing an order for tank cars for export to France. It is also making repairs on German freight cars. Production of railroad locomotives powered by model 11 Diesel engines was begun in 1943. This model has proved to be efficient and very satisfactory.
4. The factory of the Koprivnice plant is very efficient and modern. Among other items it produces transmission gears for the Zetor tractor and gears for electric motors for the Moravian Electric Works at Vsetin (P50/043) and Frenstat (P50/055). There is also a considerable screw production at the foundry.
5. Electricity for the Koprivnice plant is produced partly by the plants own power works and partly by the Moravian-Silesian Power works in Moravska Ostrava (P50/059). The factory produces its own steam for the turbines and for heating, and coal gas for use in the smith and hardening furnaces.
6. There is a shortage of ball-bearings, imported primarily from Switzerland, Italy and Austria, as well as of cast iron and other metals.
7. There is a factory workers' militia of two companies under the command or Frantisek Keisler, the gatekeeper and a convinced Communist. His deputy is Lichnovsky. The militia is armed but has practically no training. The fire brigade is well trained and well equipped. lt is under the command of Jan Sykora. The chairman of the workers' council is Kasparek, a Communist.
8. The general manager of the Butovice plant of Tatra is Bezdek. The factory manager is J.Benis; his deputy is F.Vermirovsky. This plant produces railroad cars and undercarriages as well as spiral borers. The airplane production department has been discontinued. The main production difficulty of this plant is in obtaining Poldi steel.
Country: Czechoslovakia
Date: 8 September 1950
Subject: Koprivnice Plant of the Tatra National Enterprise
Pages: 3
No of Encls: Nil
Place Acquired: [redacted]
Supplement to report: 25X1A
[Introduction redacted]
l. Tatra National Enterprise controls the Koprivnice (Neeseldorf) P50/O46) factory (Formerly the Ringhoffer-Tatra-Plant), as well as plants in Butovice (O51/L78), Praha-Smichov, Kolin (O51/M38) and Ceska Lipa (O51/F75). The factory employs 6,500 production workers and 700 office workers. Personnel at the Koprivnice plant include:
a. General Manager: Ing. Hojecky, a Communist, 40 years old.
b. Manager of the Automobile Department: Ing. Skarka, not organised politically. His deputy is Ing. Kargele.
c. Chief Engineer of the Automobile Dept: Ing. Jan Drozd, the most able technician in the plant.
d. Commercial Manager: Ing. Karel Chalupa, a former Social Democrat.
e. Chief of Personnel: Dockal, a Communist, cadre man of the plant.
f. Chief of the Sales Dept.: Jan Hykel, a Communist.
g. Chief of the Car-bodies Department: Jan Heske.
h. Chief of the Foundry: Ing. Cervinka.
i. Chief of the Railroad Car Department: Chief Engineer Bezdeko since the end of 1949 he has been made manager of the Butovice plant ot Tatra.
j. Chief of the Repair Shop: Staff Capt. B. Bucek, a member of the Czech Army of the West.
k. Chief of the Central Sales Office in Praha: Ing. Brecka
1. Chief's of the Development Section: Ing. Dr. Mimra and Ing. Vyska
2. lt is reported that there is an agent of the MVD at the Koprivnice plant, a Russian, Ivanov, who is the leader of the Lenin School located in the Afrika Restaurant in Koprivnice. Plant employees in the lower categories (A. 1-4, M 1-4, and T 1-4) attend a two weeks course at this school.
3. Production at the Koprivnice plant includes the following types:
a. 57b "Hadimrska" About 100 or these combat cars were produced in 1947 for the Ministry of National Defense. The same model was made during the war for the Wehrmacht. By the end of 1947, 3,000 cars of this Model were produced, and it is reported that production of the model has been dropped by the plant.
b. 87. A prototype of this eight-cylinder limousine was completed during 1949. Orders for 250 cars of this model have been received from abroad; Austria is supplying Tatra with some of the steel necessary for the filling of these orders.
c. Tatraplan. Eight to eleven Tatraplan cars are produced at the plant per day. About 75 percent of these are exported to Austria, Belgium and Switzerland; only a few are sent to USSR.
d. 115. This model is produced by strengthening the underbody and enlarging the cab of model 114 truck. It is being produced at the rate of two to three per day for domestic use.
e. 111. This truck is powered by a V Diesel engine. A large car is also produced in the same model, primarily for export to the USSR by railroad via Cierna pod Copu.
f. The prototype of a new type of combat car is scheduled to be completed by the development section in Praha-Smichov by the end of January 1950. It is to be powered by a new type 50 hp engine, and will have six wheels. The rear axle will be of the design long used by Tatra.
g. The railroad car department is completing an order for tank cars for export to France. It is also making repairs on German freight cars. Production of railroad locomotives powered by model 11 Diesel engines was begun in 1943. This model has proved to be efficient and very satisfactory.
4. The factory of the Koprivnice plant is very efficient and modern. Among other items it produces transmission gears for the Zetor tractor and gears for electric motors for the Moravian Electric Works at Vsetin (P50/043) and Frenstat (P50/055). There is also a considerable screw production at the foundry.
5. Electricity for the Koprivnice plant is produced partly by the plants own power works and partly by the Moravian-Silesian Power works in Moravska Ostrava (P50/059). The factory produces its own steam for the turbines and for heating, and coal gas for use in the smith and hardening furnaces.
6. There is a shortage of ball-bearings, imported primarily from Switzerland, Italy and Austria, as well as of cast iron and other metals.
7. There is a factory workers' militia of two companies under the command or Frantisek Keisler, the gatekeeper and a convinced Communist. His deputy is Lichnovsky. The militia is armed but has practically no training. The fire brigade is well trained and well equipped. lt is under the command of Jan Sykora. The chairman of the workers' council is Kasparek, a Communist.
8. The general manager of the Butovice plant of Tatra is Bezdek. The factory manager is J.Benis; his deputy is F.Vermirovsky. This plant produces railroad cars and undercarriages as well as spiral borers. The airplane production department has been discontinued. The main production difficulty of this plant is in obtaining Poldi steel.
1950 - CIA Report - Koprivnice Plant of the Tatra N.P.
Central Intelligence Agency
Country: Czechoslovakia
Date: 4 May 1950
Subject: Koprivnice Plant of the Tatra N.P.
Pages: 4
No of Encls: 2 Blueprints
Place Acquired: [redacted]
Supplement to report: 25X1X
[Introduction is redacted]
1. The plant is assigned to the Czechoslovakian Metalworking and Engineering Industry National Enterprise. It is a subsidiary plant of the Tatra N.P.
2. Work force:- about 5,000 men, including 700 officials. Work is done in three shifts.
3. The plant suffered no war damage.
4. New construction:- a workshop building for airplane production was under construction.
5. Installations:-
a) Railroad car factory:- about 50 turret lathes, 4 large autogeneous welding aggregates, 3 riverting machines, 50 surface grinding machines, 8 large and 3 small cranes.
b) Automobile factory:- about 120 lathes, 80 vertical end 25 horizontal drilling machines, about 150 milling machines, 40 surface grinding machines, 4 large electric plate shears, 12 small shears, 74 automatic plate-welding machines.
c) Foundry:- 2 large and 24 small smelting furnaces, 3 crushers for scrapping, 4 large cranes.
d) Pressing shop:- ? large press Toledo type, 3 medium-sized presses, 12 small presses, 2 large and 3 small plate shears.
e) Screw factory:- 12 automatic screw cutting lathes, 16 hardening furnaces, 12 large and 5 small presses.
f) Lathe shop:- 24 lathes, 18 milling machines, 12 planers, 4 large planers.
g) Airplane department:- Various machines from the CZ plant in Strakonice (N 50/49), the ? plant in Novy Jicin (P 50/O 46) were being removed from this department.
6. Production: Railroad trolley cars, underframes for railroad cars (49 tons), underframes for tank cars, Tatraplan, Tatra 111, Tatra 114, and Tatra 115 cars--six-cylinder passenger cars with Diesel engine, military cross-country vehicles similar to the jeep. The airplane department was scheduled to produce airplanes and tank engines. The tanks were manufactured in the Tatra plants in Studenka and Lutovice (O 51/L 78).
7. Outgoing shipments: Trolley cars were delivered only to the Czechoslovakian State Railroad. Car underframes were shipped to the Studenka Railroad Car Plant (for the manufacture of the Soviet freight cars). Tank car underframes were shipped to the Soviet Zone of Germany and the Studenka Railroad Car Plant (for the final assembly of Polish tank cars). Tatraplan cars were shipped to the Soviet Union, Holland, Norway, Hungary and occasionally the USA.
8. Incoming shipments: raw materials were supplied by the Witkowitz Ironworks and radiators and single parts by the Pal Plant in Novy Jicin and the Transporta Plant in Pribor.
Comments
a) The Tatra National Enterprise was created from the Ringhoffer-Tatra Trust in 1945. This trust combined the most important Czechoslovakian railroad car plants. At present the Tatra National Enterprise has the following main plants:
Koprivnice/Nesseldorf Plant formerly Ringhoffer-Tatra Plant
Prague/Smichov Plant formerly Moravian-Silesian Vehicle Corporation
Studenka Plant formerly Moravian-Silesian Vehicle Corporation
Kolin Plant formerly Moravian-Silesian Vehicle Corporation
Ceska Ripa Plant formerly Bohemia Plant
Leroun Plant formerly Ringhoffer Tatra Plant
Ladotin Plant formerly Ferrovia Plant
b. The present work force of the plant is 13,000 man, including about 1,800 officials and clerks.
c. Production is mainly railroad cars, trolley cars, trolley busses, passenger cars and trucks, as well as diesel vehicle engines. Armored reconnaissance cars and tractors were also built in wartime. The monthly railroad car production reached 1,200 units during the highest production period in 1947. The Koprivnice Plant is the largest plant of the Tatra National Enterprise.
d. The annexed sketches show location and layout of the plant.
e. Tatra set up a small airplane department in the Koprivnice Plant shortly before the war, headed by Engineer Tomas, now chief technical designer of the Zlin Aircraft Plant. Only sports planes were produced. This department was later abandoned and it improbable that the Tatra Plant has resumed production, considering the greatly expanded Czechoslovakian aircraft industry and the present labor shortage.
f. After the reorganization of the Czechoslovakian industry, the railroad car plants will be separated from the Tatra National Enterprise, and will become independent national enterprise by 1 January 1950. In addition to the Tatra Plant, the following national enterprises will be established by 1 January 1950:
Kolin Railroad Car Plant, Kolin
Studenka Railroad Car Plant, Studenka
Loehmisch-Leipa Railroad Car Plant, Loehmisch-Leipa
Smichov Railroad Car Plant, Prague/Smichov
2 Annexes: Blueprints, Tatra Plant in Koprivnice, Czechoslovakia.
Legend to Annex 2:
1. Power plant
2. Cooling tower
3. Acid depot
4-5. Material depot
6. Automobile plant
7. New airplane department
8. Workshop building (lathes, milling and drilling machines)
9. Plate depot
10. Tube and plate depot
11. Foundry
12. Molding shop
13. Pattern-making shop
14. Gasworks
15. Gatehouse No.3
16. Gatehouse No.5
17. Drying shop
18. Fire depot
19. Sawmill
20. Railroad car plant (assembly and dispatch)
21. Shipping department (Tatraplan cars)
22. Carpenter shop and manufacture of Tatraplan cars
23. Gatehouse No.2
24. Pressing shop
25. Lathe shop
26. Hardening shop and battery charging station
27. Automobile repair shop
28. Assembly shop (Soviet cars)
29. Screw factory and small pressing shop
30. Automobile repair shop
31. Gatehouse No.1
32. Offices
33. Garages
34. Post office
35. Garages of CSD (Czechoslovakian State Railroad)
36. Plant hotel
37. Apprentices quarters and plant kitchen
38. Officials quarters
39. Gasometer
40. Lakes
41. Lumber yard
Comments: After the end of the Second World War the US began actively planning for war against the Soviet Union. CIA agents and informants fed a constant stream of reports about the state of industry and restoration across the Eastern Bloc. This 1950 report on the status of the nationalized Ringhoffer-Tatra AG in Czechoslovakia provides useful information about the state of the Koprivnice plant and its rapid return to productivity. The Tatra NP suffered no war damage and was not subject to stripping of machinery for reparations and was able to restart production almost immediately after the end of hostilities.
Note: I have added photographs to the CIA report for illustrative purposes. Only the factory plans were included in the original report.
Country: Czechoslovakia
Date: 4 May 1950
Subject: Koprivnice Plant of the Tatra N.P.
Pages: 4
No of Encls: 2 Blueprints
Place Acquired: [redacted]
Supplement to report: 25X1X
[Introduction is redacted]
1. The plant is assigned to the Czechoslovakian Metalworking and Engineering Industry National Enterprise. It is a subsidiary plant of the Tatra N.P.
2. Work force:- about 5,000 men, including 700 officials. Work is done in three shifts.
3. The plant suffered no war damage.
4. New construction:- a workshop building for airplane production was under construction.
5. Installations:-
a) Railroad car factory:- about 50 turret lathes, 4 large autogeneous welding aggregates, 3 riverting machines, 50 surface grinding machines, 8 large and 3 small cranes.
b) Automobile factory:- about 120 lathes, 80 vertical end 25 horizontal drilling machines, about 150 milling machines, 40 surface grinding machines, 4 large electric plate shears, 12 small shears, 74 automatic plate-welding machines.
c) Foundry:- 2 large and 24 small smelting furnaces, 3 crushers for scrapping, 4 large cranes.
d) Pressing shop:- ? large press Toledo type, 3 medium-sized presses, 12 small presses, 2 large and 3 small plate shears.
e) Screw factory:- 12 automatic screw cutting lathes, 16 hardening furnaces, 12 large and 5 small presses.
f) Lathe shop:- 24 lathes, 18 milling machines, 12 planers, 4 large planers.
g) Airplane department:- Various machines from the CZ plant in Strakonice (N 50/49), the ? plant in Novy Jicin (P 50/O 46) were being removed from this department.
6. Production: Railroad trolley cars, underframes for railroad cars (49 tons), underframes for tank cars, Tatraplan, Tatra 111, Tatra 114, and Tatra 115 cars--six-cylinder passenger cars with Diesel engine, military cross-country vehicles similar to the jeep. The airplane department was scheduled to produce airplanes and tank engines. The tanks were manufactured in the Tatra plants in Studenka and Lutovice (O 51/L 78).
7. Outgoing shipments: Trolley cars were delivered only to the Czechoslovakian State Railroad. Car underframes were shipped to the Studenka Railroad Car Plant (for the manufacture of the Soviet freight cars). Tank car underframes were shipped to the Soviet Zone of Germany and the Studenka Railroad Car Plant (for the final assembly of Polish tank cars). Tatraplan cars were shipped to the Soviet Union, Holland, Norway, Hungary and occasionally the USA.
8. Incoming shipments: raw materials were supplied by the Witkowitz Ironworks and radiators and single parts by the Pal Plant in Novy Jicin and the Transporta Plant in Pribor.
Comments
a) The Tatra National Enterprise was created from the Ringhoffer-Tatra Trust in 1945. This trust combined the most important Czechoslovakian railroad car plants. At present the Tatra National Enterprise has the following main plants:
Koprivnice/Nesseldorf Plant formerly Ringhoffer-Tatra Plant
Prague/Smichov Plant formerly Moravian-Silesian Vehicle Corporation
Studenka Plant formerly Moravian-Silesian Vehicle Corporation
Kolin Plant formerly Moravian-Silesian Vehicle Corporation
Ceska Ripa Plant formerly Bohemia Plant
Leroun Plant formerly Ringhoffer Tatra Plant
Ladotin Plant formerly Ferrovia Plant
b. The present work force of the plant is 13,000 man, including about 1,800 officials and clerks.
c. Production is mainly railroad cars, trolley cars, trolley busses, passenger cars and trucks, as well as diesel vehicle engines. Armored reconnaissance cars and tractors were also built in wartime. The monthly railroad car production reached 1,200 units during the highest production period in 1947. The Koprivnice Plant is the largest plant of the Tatra National Enterprise.
d. The annexed sketches show location and layout of the plant.
e. Tatra set up a small airplane department in the Koprivnice Plant shortly before the war, headed by Engineer Tomas, now chief technical designer of the Zlin Aircraft Plant. Only sports planes were produced. This department was later abandoned and it improbable that the Tatra Plant has resumed production, considering the greatly expanded Czechoslovakian aircraft industry and the present labor shortage.
f. After the reorganization of the Czechoslovakian industry, the railroad car plants will be separated from the Tatra National Enterprise, and will become independent national enterprise by 1 January 1950. In addition to the Tatra Plant, the following national enterprises will be established by 1 January 1950:
Kolin Railroad Car Plant, Kolin
Studenka Railroad Car Plant, Studenka
Loehmisch-Leipa Railroad Car Plant, Loehmisch-Leipa
Smichov Railroad Car Plant, Prague/Smichov
2 Annexes: Blueprints, Tatra Plant in Koprivnice, Czechoslovakia.
Legend to Annex 2:
1. Power plant
2. Cooling tower
3. Acid depot
4-5. Material depot
6. Automobile plant
7. New airplane department
8. Workshop building (lathes, milling and drilling machines)
9. Plate depot
10. Tube and plate depot
11. Foundry
12. Molding shop
13. Pattern-making shop
14. Gasworks
15. Gatehouse No.3
16. Gatehouse No.5
17. Drying shop
18. Fire depot
19. Sawmill
20. Railroad car plant (assembly and dispatch)
21. Shipping department (Tatraplan cars)
22. Carpenter shop and manufacture of Tatraplan cars
23. Gatehouse No.2
24. Pressing shop
25. Lathe shop
26. Hardening shop and battery charging station
27. Automobile repair shop
28. Assembly shop (Soviet cars)
29. Screw factory and small pressing shop
30. Automobile repair shop
31. Gatehouse No.1
32. Offices
33. Garages
34. Post office
35. Garages of CSD (Czechoslovakian State Railroad)
36. Plant hotel
37. Apprentices quarters and plant kitchen
38. Officials quarters
39. Gasometer
40. Lakes
41. Lumber yard
Comments: After the end of the Second World War the US began actively planning for war against the Soviet Union. CIA agents and informants fed a constant stream of reports about the state of industry and restoration across the Eastern Bloc. This 1950 report on the status of the nationalized Ringhoffer-Tatra AG in Czechoslovakia provides useful information about the state of the Koprivnice plant and its rapid return to productivity. The Tatra NP suffered no war damage and was not subject to stripping of machinery for reparations and was able to restart production almost immediately after the end of hostilities.
Note: I have added photographs to the CIA report for illustrative purposes. Only the factory plans were included in the original report.
Wednesday, 13 November 2024
Behind the Scenes of "In my Garage"
In September 2024 I recieved a call from Alex Forrest, former motoring editor of The West Australian newspaper and now working at the RAC. Alex had written a feature about my Tatra for The West shortly after I had purchased the car in 2014. The West, like so many newspapers, later dropped all local reporters in favour internet 'reporting' and puff. It's crap but its cheap. Alex moved on. He had pitched to the RAC a new series of print articles and video features showcasing interesting vehicles in Perth. The series was called "In my garage" and he asked if me and my Tatra agree to be the first feature. "Well, hell yes!"
It certainly sounds like a simple premise. Alex and I (and other owners later) would have a chat about our vehicles and go for a drive. It isn't easy however. When I do my driving videos it's just me talking off the cuff and enjoying a drive. It's easy enough to edit out some of the guff if I go off on a tangent or forget what I'm talking about. There have been many times I've looked back at the video and thought - straight to the bin with that. If I don't publish a video, who cares? I'll do another one when I feel I have something to say. But working on a professional video requires a degree of professionalism. "Maybe do that one again." is something that was said a lot. Another thing, it's hard to have a normal, natural conversation when you are being filmed. Alex would say something, I would mess up my reply. The director would step in and tell us what he wanted. Neither of us would be comfortable and it would show. "Let's do that again but more naturally." It was an interesting experience.
"Let's do that again..."
That all said, it was a brilliant experience and, while it took a while to get into the swing, both Alex and I had our groove on by the time we finished filming. It only took four hours, which is pretty quick as far as these things go. The team at RAC have turned those four hours into an excellent fourteen minute video. Enjoy!
Check out the RAC article here: https://rac.com.au/car-motoring/info/in-my-garage-ep-1
Alex Forrest's first article about the Tatra: https://tatrat600.blogspot.com/2020/09/tatra-epitome-of-rear-engine-cool.html
Monday, 28 October 2024
1948 NAMI Tatra T87 Review
"This report presents materials on the testing of the Tatra-87 model 1948 (mainly in terms of its aerodynamics, fuel consumption, stability, cross-country ability and comfort). Special attention is paid to the features connected with the rear location of the engine on this vehicle / weight distribution on the axles, body layout, etc./, as well as its aerodynamics and economy.Translation into English is underway
Tests have shown good aerodynamic and economic qualities of the car. Fuel consumption can be reduced by 15-20% without compromising the vehicles aerodynamics by eliminating assembly defects and changing the carburetor adjustment.
The unusual arrangement of the drive unit for this class of vehicle (rear engine placement) improves the use of space, visibility, streamlining, economy and insulates the passengers from engine noise, but the large weight of the power unit leads to unsatisfactory stability.
The vehicle is equipped with a drive unit of an outdated design, which is why, in particular, the smoothness of the ride and ease of control of the vehicle are inadequate.
The car's cross-country ability is average."
