Battlesbridge car show

[Bob Purton]

Battlesbridge classic car and bike show this Sunday 30th September 2012. There is always a spattering of microcars there, weather forecast looking good so far.

[Bob Purton]

Just returned from Battlesbridge, many micronauts there including, Tony Searle in MkC Bond, Ken Bell in MkD Bond, Adrian Polley in his Panhard,Terry Barns in  his Trojan, Rhona Bell in Fiat 500, Steve Baylis in his Ant and me and Mike Plant in The Isetta. Also seen was Perry olds who arrived in a Smart. A good day but biggest surprise was this Tatra that turned up, what a cracker!!

[Rob Dobie]

But as Tony used to say when he was editor of Rumcar News, "Is it a Microcar?" 

[blob]

"Is it a Microcar?"

No, but I reckon it's something microcar enthusiasts can appreciate, as it has a space age feel to it.

[Bob Purton]

Didnt say it was but If it doesnt interest you Rob just look away but I know that deep down you love it!

[marcus]

Micro or not I LOVE Tatraplans, particularly this earlier model with the 3 piece windscreen and central headlamp.

[Bob Purton]

Thanks Marcus, I was beginning to think I had wasted my time posting it! I suppose it should have been in the off topic lounge though.

[marcus]

Never a waste of time! I was at a big drum show in Birmingham all week end and only got back home on Tuesday afternoon. Was not on the forum much for weeks, getting ready for the show.

Tatra's Chief Engineer/Designer Hans Ledwinka also designed a much smaller car with vaguely similar but more compacted/rounded styling. It had a platform chassis and air cooled 4 cyl opposed engine at the back. He wanted to get it into bigger international production and showed it to a group of 3 people, Ferdinand Porsche, Adolf Hitler and Albert Speer (not 100% sure if Speer was the Third Man). They were very impressed and "borrowed" the design.

I think it was in the late 70s or early 80s that VW finally made him an out-of-court settlement worth millions of pounds, for stealing his designs to use for the KdF Wagen/Beetle, but he was already ailing and died before receiving a penny. People still rave about "Porsche's" brilliantly successful design.

It was the same Leader who removed Austrian Siegfried Markus from all record books for having made the first petrol powered car, and substituted Mercedes Benz who still claim fraudulently to be the first!

[Barry]

Sorry to ignore you Bob.
Tatra are one of my all time favourite cars.  Ever since I saw one at Fullbore motors.  They were importing Hindustan Ambassadors and got all new internal window frames for the doors on my 1955 Morris Isis.  This was in the 1980s and the Ambassador still had pretty much identical parts.  They drove back their air cooled V8 Tatra back from Czechoslovakia.  I would have loved to have had that car, practically unknown in those days.

Photos just for interest.

[Big Al]

Tatra's Chief Engineer/Designer Hans Ledwinka also designed a much smaller car with vaguely similar but more compacted/rounded styling. It had a platform chassis and air cooled 4 cyl opposed engine at the back. He wanted to get it into bigger international production and showed it to a group of 3 people, Ferdinand Porsche, Adolf Hitler and Albert Speer (not 100% sure if Speer was the Third Man). They were very impressed and "borrowed" the design.

I think it was in the late 70s or early 80s that VW finally made him an out-of-court settlement worth millions of pounds, for stealing his designs to use for the KdF Wagen/Beetle, but he was already ailing and died before receiving a penny. People still rave about "Porsche's" brilliantly successful design.

Ever more not Micro. 'You tube' again and watch the amazing Tatra trucks driving through flooded quarries and growling up ridiculous routes to get out. All due to a very interesting final drive/suspension arrangement. Also confirms what I said about borrowing good ideas on another thread.

I have been fortunate enough to have owned and driven a number of Tatra cars. They are all an unusual experience and I love the 603. Sadly prices are climbing away from realistic ownership as a second car. Then again they are hand built and are probably the best car made behind the Iron Curtain so they deserve to become a stand out marque, a tribute to not only Ledwinka but a nation of clever engineers held back from many achievements by political necessities.