The Czech Tatra is by many considered to be the first serial-produced, truly aerodynamically-designed automobile. It was developed by Hans Ledwinka and Paul Jaray, the Zeppelin aerodynamic engineer. Launched in 1934, the Tatra 77 is a coach-built automobile, constructed on a platform chassis. 

It was powered by a 60 hp rear-mounted 2.97-litre air-cooled V8 engine.  The average drag coefficient of a 1:5 model of Tatra 77 was recorded as 0.2455. 

The Tatra 77 was a hand-built car with a leather interior. Some cars had a glass partition between the front and rear seats. A sliding roof was available.

In 1935 the T77 was updated and improved, which resulted in the T77a. The capacity of the V8 was increased to 3.4 L. The new motor increased output to 75 hp  and maximum speed to 150 km/h.

The front now had three headlamps of which the central unit was not, as has been suggested, linked to the steering on some models. The central headlight never moved with the front wheels, but had an electro-magnetic system enabling the reflector to move to illuminate the kerbs, as street illumination was poor at the time.

The Tatra 77 was the particular favourite of Tatra design engineer Erich Übelacker, who owned and used a T77 himself from 1934. Other famous owners of T77s were Miloš Havel, the proprietor of the film studios in Prague, who bought a T77 in 1935, Austrian car designer Edmund Rumpler, who designed the aerodynamic Rumpler Tropfenwagen in 1921, Edvard Beneš, the 1930s minister of Foreign Affairs and later president of Czechoslovakia, who both owned a T77a.

In total 249 were produced.

The Tatra 87 (T87) was a car built by Czechoslovak manufacturer Tatra. It was powered by a rear-mounted 2.9-litre air-cooled V8 engine that produced 85 horsepower and could drive the car at nearly 160 km/h. It is ranked among the fastest production cars of its time. After the war between 1950 and 1953, T87s were fitted with more-modern 2.5-litre V8 T603 engines.

Its streamlined shape was designed by Hans Ledwinka and Erich Übelacker and was based on the Tatra 77, the first car designed with aerodynamics in mind. A fin in the sloping rear of the Tatra helps to divide the air pressure on both sides of the car, a technique used later in aircraft. 

Small sets of windows in the dividers between the passenger, luggage space, and engine compartments, plus louvres providing air for the air-cooled engine, allowed limited rear visibility. Its entire rear segment could be opened to service the engine. The front doors are rear-hinged coach doors, sometimes termed "suicide doors", while the rear doors are front-hinged.

Many design elements of the Tatra 87, V570 and the later T97, were copied by later car manufacturers. Ferdinand Porsche was heavily influenced by the Tatra 87 and T97 and the flat-four-cylinder engine in his design of the Volkswagen Beetle, and was subsequently sued by Tatra.

During World War II, the Tatra 87 was highly sought after by high-ranking Nazi officers who loved its speed and luxury. However, the car possessed a dangerous handling trait: the heavy rear-mounted engine combined with swing-axle suspension caused severe, sudden oversteer when cornering sharply at high speeds. This led to so many fatal crashes among Nazi officers that it was jokingly referred to as the "Allied secret weapon" or the "Death Rocket."

A total of 3056 were produced.

The Tatra 600, named the Tatraplan, was a rear-engined large family car produced from 1948 to 1952. The name of the car celebrated the new Communist planned economy but also referred to aeroplane inspiration.

Originally, the 600 was known as the Tatra 107, continuing from Tatra's previous aerodynamic cars- the 77, 87, and 97- as it was intended as a newer, smaller, and cheaper version to replace the outdated Tatra 57. Tatra switched to a new numbering system after WWII, with all car model codes beginning with 600; as a result, the Tatra 107 became the Tatra 600.

In 1951, the state planning department decided that the Tatraplan should henceforth be built at the Skoda Auto plant in Mladá Boleslav, leaving Tatra to concentrate on truck assembly. This was quite unpopular with the workforce at both plants: as a result Skoda built Tatraplans for one year only before the model was discontinued in 1952.

The Tatraplan had a monocoque streamlined 6-seat fastback saloon body with front suicide doors and was powered by an air-cooled flat-4-cylinder 1952 cc rear-mounted engine delivering 52 horsepower.

Thanks to its lightweight engineering and highly aerodynamic shape, the 1200 kg car could reach a top speed of 130 to 145 km/h, an incredible feat for a two-liter engine at the time.

In total, 6342 units of the Tatraplan were produced. Because it was an expensive, high-quality vehicle, it was heavily restricted within the Eastern Bloc and primarily driven by high-ranking state officials and secret police units. A large portion of production was exported worldwide to generate foreign currency.

The engineering lessons of the Tatraplan eventually paved the way for its iconic successor, the V8-powered Tatra 603.

The Tatra 603 is a large rear-engined luxury car which was produced by Tatra from 1956 to 1975. It was a continuation of the series of Tatra streamlined sedans which began with the Tatra 77. In Socialist Czechoslovakia, only high-ranking party officials and heads of factories were driven in 603s. 

The Model T603 was allocated only to senior members of the political and industrial establishments. About a third of T603 production was exported to most of the central and eastern European countries allied to Czechoslovakia at the time, as well as to Cuba and China. Sales to private individuals were not normally possible.

The T603s took part in 79 races (24 international) in years 1957 to 1967, resulting in a total 60 first, 56 second and 49 third positions. 

The Tatra 603 featured an imposing, alien-like fastback design with a drag coefficient of just 0.36. The interior was heavily influenced by American styling, featuring a large chrome-accented steering wheel and expansive bench seats that could accommodate up to six passengers. Over its 19-year production run, the car evolved through three distinct series:

 

• Tatra 603-1 (1956–1963): Famous for its three headlights grouped closely together under a single glass canopy in the center of the grille. 
• Tatra 603-2 (1963–1967): The layout changed to four headlights placed closely together in a central housing, and the engine output was increased.
• Tatra 603-3 (1968–1975): The final and most refined iteration. The four headlights were spaced further apart across a widened grille layout, and the car received upgraded disc brakes on the front wheels.

At the heart of the car was a 2.5-liter, air-cooled overhead-camshaft (OHC) V8 engine. It produced between 95 and 105 horsepower and was celebrated for its extreme mechanical reliability and its deeply distinctive, resonant engine note. 

 

Despite weighing over 1400 kg, its aerodynamic profile allowed it to achieve a top speed of 160 km/u, outperforming almost every standard vehicle in the Eastern Bloc.

A total of 20.422 units were built before production ended in 1975 to make way for its angular, modern successor: the Vignale-designed Tatra 613.

 

 

 

The Tatra 613 was a large luxury rear wheel driven car with rear mounted air-cooled engine manufactured from the 1970s to the 1990s, as a replacement for the Tatra 603 series.

It featured an all-new body styled by Vignale of Italy back in 1968 and used an air-cooled 3.5 litre V8 engine with 168 PS.  Later injection versions reached 200 PS, with a maximum speed of 230 km/h. The design was updated a further five times until being replaced by the Tatra 700 in 1996, itself a restyled T613-5.

The Tatra 613 vehicles were mostly used by government officials, industry executives and in limited numbers were also used as police cars and as the rapid response fire fighting and rescue vehicles during motorsport events.

• 1975 - 1980 Tatra 613 - 4581 vehicles produced
• 1980 - 1984 Tatra 613-2 -1045 vehicles produced
• 1985 - 1991 Tatra 613-3 (1st facelift by V.Výborný) - 903 vehicles produced
• 1991 - 1993 Tatra 613 RTP and RZP (ambulance)
• 1991 - 1996 Tatra 613-4 and Tatra 613-4 Long (2nd facelift, first injection version) - 191 vehicles produced
• 1993 - 1994 Tatra 613-5 - only four prototypes were ever made, a fuel-injected 'westernised' car having been contracted out to ex-Jaguar development engineer Tim Bishop from England.
• 1993 - 1996 Tatra 613-4 Mi and Tatra 613-4 Mi Long (luxury version) - 109 vehicles produced + several dozens of long versions
• 1995 - 1996 Tatra 613-4 Mi Long MODEL 95 (3rd facelift) - several dozens produced.

Production ceased in 1996 after roughly 11.000 units were built. The 613 was briefly succeeded by the heavily updated Tatra 700, which became the brand's final passenger car.