My research into the "Czech Secret Weapon" myth had led me to believe that this story appeared in the 1980s with Brian Palmer's article "Forgotten Genius. Brian Palmer talks to Albert K. Richter Dipl.-Ing about his idol, Hans Ledwinka, 'the forgotten engineering genius' and the incredible Tatra cars." in Thoroughbred and Classic Car Magazine (UK), June 1983. However, I was wrong. The origin story appears much earlier - on 27 October 1954 actually - in this anonymous article published in 'The Motor (UK).' The article - which is unattributed - contains a survey of motoring developments in postwar Eastern Europe. Page 12 states the following about Czechoslovakia and Tatra:
"Perhaps of all European countries, Czechoslovakia is the one which geography has imposed the most severe discipline upon the designer, and, as the country's greatest automobile engineer, Ledwinka set the pattern with his Tatras. The approach was a radical one, pioneering with the backbone chassis, the all-independent suspension and the air-cooled engine, to evolve a car that would withstand continuous brutal treatment on the country's atrocious mountain roads. Here was a case like that of Porsche in Germany and Austria, where the engineer was usually able to impose his will on the financiers and the business men, and the triumph of theory over practice came with the great V-8 Tatra, streamlined, rear-engined and independently suspended. When Germany overran Czechoslovakia this ultra-modern car fascinated the Nazi top brass, but so many of them were killed or injured while driving it that they began to wonder if it was not after all a form of secret weapon, and it was at one time reported there were rules forbidding senior men to use it. Years before, Sir Denniston Burney had tried to do the same thing, but his was the urbane English gentleman's approach. The suspension was designed for well-surfaced main roads, and he did not even bother to build his own engine, as it was not an essential part of the technical conception. The result was much smoother and quieter than the Tatra, but almost equally dangerous.It's interesting to note that the myth is fully formed at this point - the dangerous handling of Tatras, sudden death toll among German officers, 'Czech secret weapon' rumour, and a driving ban that may or may not have happened. As Palmer virtually paraphrased this statement, he clearly was aware of the article from his research.
Under the present regime, Czechoslovakia has continued to build the pre-war designs, a smaller and safer Tatra with flat-four engine, and the Skoda with a new body. The very robust structures of both cars reflect local geographical influence, while the marked deterioration in the quality of trim and finish, as compared to pre-war products, shows clearly how the country's living standards are being reduced to the Russian level."
So what can we learn from this article? For a start, the idea of Tatra's being a secret weapon against the Nazis clearly originated much earlier in the immediate aftermath of World War Two. I believe this idea flows from the post-war review of the captured Tatra T87 by the Vauxhall company (BIOS ). This review of a badly worn out T87 staff car took no account of the car's poor condition and lack of basic repair to deliver a critically negative of almost every aspect of the car's features and handling. This was an exercise in political bias. Conservative British industry was not interested in learning anything from German technology and so a scathing review of such an unorthodox design was only to be expected. To illustrate the point, I will point out the 1935 review in 'The Autocar (UK)' magazine of the Tatra T77, which can be found in full here: https://tatrat600.blogspot.com/2022/04/1935-tatra-t77-autocar-review.html
Road Experiences
On the road the car proved to be most interesting to drive, and considering the weight, 33 cwt., and the size of the engine, 3 litres, it had a good turn of speed, and was not unduly sensitive to changes in gradient. The riding was most comfortable, and a demonstration at speed down a hill abounding in potholes and such obstructions as manholes standing high above the ground was, to say the least, astounding. None of the party of four in the car would have dared to have taken any normal car over the surface in question at half the speed. Yet inside the car very little shock was felt, and there was none of those disconcerting shocks which suggest that machinery is being ill-treated.
From English standards the engine and gears are noisy, but this is not apparent to the driver and his passengers.
The handling report of the Tatra T77 is positive. The car is fast, quiet, unaffected by bad roads, although the gears and engine are noisy (but the noise is not apparent to the passengers and driver??). And yet, right at the beginning of the article the author expresses that it is inconcievable that this unorthodox vehicle will find any market in England. From the outset, British automotive writers were negatively disposed to the Tatra and this prejudice encouraged them to believe they were poor handling and dangerous. Every rumour of poor handling, accidents and deaths reinforced the belief and the mythology was born. The notion that Tatra streamliners are inherently dangerous and some sort of 'secret weapon' remains nonsense.
A big thank you to Jussa Nieminen in Finland for finding this article and sharing it with me.
