1967 Tatra 603-2
It’s hard to believe the Tatra 603 was fashioned by human hands, let alone that it left the Socialist Czechoslovakian factory almost sixty years ago. The vast majority of these luxury sedans were driven by high-ranking government officials and they were never distributed outside the Eastern Bloc.
Few cars, if any, have such an imposing presence as a Tatra 603. There’s really nothing quite like it and I love how Tatra’s engineers were never afraid to ignore convention.
Even the headlights aren’t where you’d expect them to be. And at almost 17 feet long, the next thing that strikes you, is that it’s simply massive.
As this Tatra dates from 1967, that makes it a ‘603-2’ (also ‘2-603’) which was the first facelift of the design. The three headlamps of earlier cars were increased to four and amongst other small updates, the rear track was widened.
Given their official governmental role, 603s were often finished in black and the color’s inherent sleekness forms the perfect accompaniment to that slippery shape.
A rear-mounted, hemi head, air-cooled V8 is about as bonkers as it sounds but these 603s actually worked really well and could quite happily burble along all day.
Even the noise this vehicle makes is unlike any other and to many is a curious cross between a V8 muscle car and an air-cooled 911.
This particular Tatra has its original engine and retains its original Jikov carburetors. All of its mechanicals have been overhauled and rebuilt where necessary and as a result the car drives impeccably.
Climbing inside this Tatra is like stepping into a Cold War spy thriller.
Unlike the inside of Western luxury sedans that were fashioned predominantly from wood and leather, the Tatra 603’s upholstery has an altogether more municipal feel with patterned velours and hard-wearing grey vinyl.
The dashboard is fairly basic with instrumentation, switchgear, and radio. A gasoline heater was available but often disconnected in modern restorations due to safety concerns.
The Tatra incorporates column-shift gear changes, resulting in no bulky transmission tunnel, giving the cabin a futuristic flat floor reminiscent of today’s EVs.
Black carpeting with grey piping was the norm, as were the large bench seats both front and rear. Forward of the passenger compartment, where one might expect the engine, lies a cavernous trunk space.
If ever a car came close to making the Citroën DS feel conventional, it’s the Tatra 603.
