Barn Finds, Classic Cars

When Is the Last Time You Saw a 1947 Tatra T87?

I remember the first time I saw a 1947 Tatra T87 – it wasn’t in person – it was this morning when I found a listing for one on eBay. (Hopefully, it won’t be the last one I see.) The one I found was a barn find project Tatra (not the one shown below – that’s just to show how a pristine one looks.)

The 1947 Tatra T87

Rear View of the 1947 Tatra T87
Rear View of the 1947 Tatra T87 By dave_7 (originally posted to Flickr as 1947 Tatra T-87) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
The Tatra T87 from 1947 was a Czechoslovakian car designed by Hans Ledwinka.

1947 Tatra T87
1947 Tatra T87 By dave_7 (originally posted to Flickr as 1947 Tatra T-87) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
The ’47 Tatra T87 weighed in at 3,020 pounds and with it’s V8 engine, it could pull off 100 mph. (Pretty kicking for a ’47.)

1947 Tatra T87 Saloon Front Nameplate
1947 Tatra T87 Saloon Front Nameplate By Philip (flip) Kromer from Austin, TX (Philip (flip) Kromer from Austin, TX) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC BY-SA 2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5-2.0-1.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
The ’47 T87 Tatra had suicide doors and a lot of the interior  trim was crafted from wood.

1947 Tatra T87 Dashboard
1947 Tatra T87 Dashboard By Mr.choppers (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons
Horizontal slots in the rear hood help with cooling the engine.

1947 Tatra T-87 Saloon Front Headlight
1947 Tatra T-87 Saloon Front Headlight By Philip (flip) Kromer from Austin, TX (Philip (flip) Kromer from Austin, TX) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC BY-SA 2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5-2.0-1.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
A push-button starter kicks on the 3.0 Litre V8 Tatra engine.

1947 Tatra T87 Saloon Engine Compartment
1947 Tatra T87 Saloon Engine Compartment By Philip (flip) Kromer from Austin, TX (Philip (flip) Kromer from Austin, TX) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC BY-SA 2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5-2.0-1.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
The Tatra T87 features a fin that splits the pressure evenly on each side of the T87 to improve the way it handles.

This Tatra model is considered one of the most aerodynamic cars ever created, and wind tunnel testing proved it to have a drag coefficient of 0.36. 

Resources used in researching the 1947 Tatra T87:

By: Laure Justice

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