TATRA TYPE 87 - Mullin Automotive Museum
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TATRA TYPE 87 1938
Transcript of TATRA TYPE 87 - Mullin Automotive Museum
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A Modern Movement
Czechoslovakian auto manufacturing inthe 1930s took its roots from the WesternEuropean school of aerodynamics.Aérodynamisme was a sign of the times.In the 1930s aerodynamics engineers inWestern Europe pursued their vision ofscience-based automotive coachwork.They used wind-tunnel testing andengineering strategies to develop smoothand enveloped coachwork that cutthrough the wind. Innovative roundbodies, such as that of the Tatra Type 87,set the precedent for modernizedcoachwork that was popular throughout
the 1930s. The former Czechoslovakian (now CzechRepublic) manufacturer Tatra was aleading proponent of the aerodynamicsmovement and developed the sleek Type77 in 1933 and the shapely Type 87 in 1938.Tatra’s head engineer, Hans Ledwinka,designed the Type 77’s enveloped profile,with its rounded edges and a protrudingrear fin. The streamlined body wasattached to a well-balanced,center-beamed chassis with arear-positioned engine like that of a
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Volkswagen or Porsche. The Tatra Type 87 is considerably shorterthan the Type 77; however, it is muchshapelier, displaying more rounded formsand finely integrated fenders.
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The Mullin Automotive Museum acquiredthe Tatra Type 87 in 2007.
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PROFILE
Coachbuilder Factory
Chassis number 46089
Body type Sedan
Acceleration 0
Top Speed 100
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BODY | CHASSIS
Length 15' 8"
Height (Ground line to highest roof) 4' 10"
Width 5' 5"
ENGINE
Number of cylinders 8
Engine position Rear
Displacement 2965
Distribution Overhead camshaft
Engine capacity & output unavailable
Gearbox Manual
Overdrive 0
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© Mullin Automotive MuseumAll photographs courtesy of Michael Furman
