Tatra TRucks

In about 1919 trucks under the marque Tatra began appearing in the newly created country of Czechoslovakia. The history of this manufacturer stretches back to the 1850s under various names and it has produced such vehicles as the mentioned trucks (built since the 1890s), automobiles (see previous pages), carriages, wagons, and railway coaches. The company is most famous for its fantastic aerodynamic sedans with rear-mounted engines, but trucks have accounted for a major portion of its production since the 1950s. Tatra trucks T 27, T 82, T 85 or T 72 were widely used in Czechoslovakia and other countries. The Tatra brand’s very good reputation was spread in dozens of countries by the Tatra T 111, T 138, T 148, T 813 and T 815 types.

In 1965 the squarely styled and imposing T813 was outfitted with a monstrous and torquey 17.6-litre 12-cylinder unit of 247bhp @ 2000rpm (very likely a highly reliable air-cooled diesel V12). It could haul up to 8.2 tons and was available in many forms, including the appropriately named 8x8 (4 axle) Kolos (colossal) towing truck. Tatra T813 is one of the most widely known Tatra trucks ever produced.

Another interesting model to clear the gates at Koprivnice was the T815 which went on sale in 1982 and is still produced with minor improvements to this day in a multitude of different versions. The rather conventional looking T815, available in 2, 3, or 4 axle format, was initially equipped with a 10-cylinder (an air-cooled diesel, naturally) engine of 15.8-litres and with a torque of 1010Nm (@ 1400rpm) on tap. Later on 19-litre 470bhp 12-cyl. (with torque of either 1130Nm or 1295Nm @ 1400rpm) and 12.7-litre 8-cyl. (with 840Nm @ 1400rpm) units became available. The carrying capacity of a typical T815 is about 14 or 15 tons and the maximum speed is around 90 km/h.

The very special and gigantic multilevel Tatra T815 Around the World GTC (Grand Tourist Caravan) continued the Tatra tradition of travelling across the continents.

Special versions, in 4x4 and 6x6 form, of the T815 have had phenomenal success in the well-known rallies with Dakar as the destination, for instance, the Paris (through Algiers) to Dakar and Grenada to Dakar rallies. At the 1987 Paris-Algiers-Dakar rally Tatra T815VD 4x4s (equipped with the mentioned 8-cyl. engine and capable of 150 km/h) placed in 2nd, 15th, 16th, and 18th in the truck category against tough competition (such as the Russian Kamaz trucks). The Tatra 815 and its descendants took the Chech truck racer Karel Loprais to victory six times in the Dakar Rally (1988, 1994, 19995, 1998,19999, 2001).