Descrição
The Tatra Beta was designed by Elcar, the electric vehicle division of Škoda. It was put tentatively into production as the Škoda Beta in 1994, powered by a 40kW electric motor and 30 NiCad batteries. Only 90 were made before production shifted to the factory of newlywed Škoda Tatra in P?íbor. It was reengineered to take a 1. 3-litre engine and gearbox from the Škoda Favorit and launched with a louder fanfare at the 1996 Prague Motor Show.
Favorit production had ceased a year earlier and the supply of parts quickly evaporated. Thus, it was reengineered again in 1997 with a Hyundai Accent 1. 3-litre drivetrain. At the same time, it was rebranded the Tatra Beta, making it the last non-HGV to wear a Tatra badge. A grand total of just over 300 were produced before production fizzled out in 1999, concluding 102 years of unbroken Tatra car production.
To label the Beta a massive flop – though statistically accurate – misses the fact that it has an awful lot going for it. The corrosion-resistant and reasonably tough glassfibre body cocoons a stiff steel spaceframe. The cab is spacious and well-appointed for a working vehicle, particularly Tatra versions, which have Hyundai Accent furniture.
All mechanical components are cheap, simple, tried-and-tested Škoda and Hyundai parts-bin items. A kerbweight of 970kg and 83bhp of Hyundai thrust yields 35mpg and a top speed of 90mph. Just like a Ford Transit Connect, the load-bay will swallow a 600kg Euro pallet – and the top lifts off to transform it into a funky pick-up. There’s nothing not to like, in my book.
I bought this Beta in Czech in 2016 and dragged it to the UK in 2019. Sadly, it spent the time between festering in a Polish farmyard, which hasn’t done it any favours. I think it’s fantastic, but it’s so never going to make it to the top of my ‘to do’ list. It’d benefit from being passed on to someone else who appreciates its many virtues.
It’s chassis number 093 – a 1997 model with a Hyundai Accent drivetrain and interior. The body’s not too bad by Beta standards, though the doors and front bumper need work. The spaceframe is pretty rusty, but not doomed. It’s all MIG-welded steel box-section, so it’d be easy to refabricate. Everything else is either Škoda or MkI Hyundai Accent. Buy a donor Accent and an climbing frame, and you’ll have everything you need.
