{"id":5733,"date":"2020-03-19T10:40:52","date_gmt":"2020-03-19T10:40:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.co.uk\/magazine\/?p=5733"},"modified":"2024-09-12T10:21:15","modified_gmt":"2024-09-12T09:21:15","slug":"1962-tatra-603-project-profile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/1962-tatra-603-project-profile\/","title":{"rendered":"1962 Tatra 603 – Project Profile"},"content":{"rendered":"

The wonderful thing about the world of classic cars is that no matter how long they have been your passion, no matter how many classics you have owned, there is always something waiting in the wings that will knock your socks off with its weirdness. A case in point would be the car we\u2019ve chosen here, namely a 1962 Tatra 603<\/a>. A car so utterly bonkers it will leave onlookers utterly speechless.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Tatra brand originates from Czechoslovakia and over there, they do things differently. This is the country that, back in the \u201870s and \u201880s gave us rear-engined cars like the Skoda Rapide and Estelle. It gave us the three-wheeled Velorex in the \u201850s, a car that had a body made from taught fabric (no, really), while Tatra itself has made a name for itself with weird cars, but also mammoth, multi-axle military vehicles that would make Everest look like a speed bump. The Czech automotive industry is a law unto itself. It\u2019s not a country that has ever looked at the wider motoring world for ideas and advice. Instead, it just giddily built its own creations, akin to a child with some Lego, some Meccano and a lot of glue. And for us, their ultimate automotive expression is this, the Tatra 603.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is it?<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Tatra 603<\/a> is a large, luxury car that was built from \u201856 through to \u201875. And when we say large, we really do mean it. The 603 is over five meters in length, and has a wheelbase of nearly three metres. It wasn\u2019t the company\u2019s first stab at a luxury car though. In fact, the 603 was the evolution of the 77, the 87 and the 600. No, they were not good at naming cars. But, ignore the numerical nomenclature and instead look at the wonderful, but ultimately weird lines of the 603. It looks like a slightly deflated airship on wheels. Some cars of the era could be accused of being too square, but not the 603. This machine was a chaotic coming together of curves. Admittedly, it’s an acquired aesthetic, though we think it looks brilliant.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Tatra,<\/a><\/p>\n

The best bit of a Tatra 603 is not, however, the looks of the thing. No, what really makes this car stand out is the engine. Powering this big old beast is a 2,545cc V8. And not just any V8. This one features hemispherical combustion chambers, like a Hemi Cuda or a DeSoto Firedome. It\u2019s a bona fide hot rod. Oh, and this V8 is air-cooled. And, it\u2019s in the back of the car, not the front. Mad as a box of frogs or what?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The engine, while undoubtedly strange, was actually incredibly reliable. The Tatra 603 wasn\u2019t a car the general public could buy. Instead, it was the designated transport of industry bosses, government officials and dignitaries. As such, it had to work flawlessly, and it did. The 603 was exemplary in ride, power and comfort terms, and as such, was extremely popular with those who could get their hands on one. And now, thanks to these old cars falling into private hands, you can get one, too.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why is it a project?\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Sadly, the advert is light on detail. However, from the pictures it would be safe to say the car has been sat unused for a while, as the paint and chrome both look to be pretty aged. However, on the positive side, the car seems to be largely complete. This is pleasing given that you can\u2019t exactly pop into a Tatra dealership for parts. That said, there are plenty of online resources for these cars, as they do have a small UK following. Then of course there is the following they have on home soil, that should be able to yield parts if needed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Tatra,<\/a><\/p>\n

The other good news is that this particular 603 is up and running. The vendor states that the engine was restored \u201ca few years ago\u201d and that the car is driveable. If the engine were dead or in bits, we wouldn\u2019t suggest this as a project, but as it runs, that\u2019s half the battle won.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The interior looks to be present and correct and in reasonable condition, the body while faded looks to be free of any significant corrosion or damage, and all the chrome and glass seems to still be in situ. With any luck, this project would just be an exercise in refreshing, rather than having to do a nut and bolt rebuild.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Five things to look for:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

1) Engine<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, the engine runs and that\u2019s great. But is it dropping oil? Does it run without sounding like a washing machine full of grit? Does it stay cool? This all needs to be checked, as repairing such a rare lump will be problematic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2) Trim Condition<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The external trim seems to be all present and correct, if a little on the tired side. How tired is it? Can it be saved by a specialist re-chromer? If not, replacing it is going to be hard work.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Tatra,<\/a><\/p>\n

3) Chassis<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The body of this old 603 looks to be in reasonably good condition, and the one image of the chassis paints a pleasing picture. However, you still need to have a thorough check for corrosion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

4) Suspension and Brakes<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The 603 is suspended on swing axles out back and more traditional MacPherson suspension up front. It\u2019s all basic engineering, and any specialist worth their salt should be able to rebuild it, but still worth checking.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

5) Paperwork<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, we\u2019re a bit of a broken record with this, but imagine buying this, shipping it back from Prague, only to find out you can\u2019t register it on UK roads. A cursory check can avoid this.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What should you do with it?\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

This is an exceptionally rare car on UK soil, so the right thing to do would be to restore it to original specification. It\u2019s so weird and wonderful it doesn\u2019t need any additions or modifications. Just clean it up, splash on some new paint, get the interior looking \u2018dignitary ready\u2019 and then enjoy the big, old bus.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This is a car that\u2019s built to be used, and it\u2019s built to be driven. Get it back to a presentable standard and you\u2019ll have a car that the whole family can enjoy, and one that will stop classic car show attendees in their tracks. You\u2019ll be the talk of every event you attend in this beast!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The wonderful thing about the world of classic cars is that no matter how long they have been your passion, no matter how many classics you have owned, there is…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":5734,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[322],"tags":[1737,15,110,12,13,11,14,325,108,16,1563,1736,38],"yoast_head":"\n1962 Tatra 603 - Project Profile - Car & Classic Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Tatra 603 is a weird, but wonderful machine. Spacious, futuristic \u2018Jetsons\u2019 styling and a rear-mounted air-cooled V8 make this a car like no other.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/1962-tatra-603-project-profile\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"1962 Tatra 603 - Project Profile - Car & Classic Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Tatra 603 is a weird, but wonderful machine. Spacious, futuristic \u2018Jetsons\u2019 styling and a rear-mounted air-cooled V8 make this a car like no other.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/1962-tatra-603-project-profile\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Car & Classic Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-03-19T10:40:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-09-12T09:21:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/03\/12867667.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"875\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"565\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Car & Classic\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Car & Classic\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/1962-tatra-603-project-profile\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/1962-tatra-603-project-profile\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Car & Classic\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/#\/schema\/person\/9faf82502e956d89ea59bb842c637f39\"},\"headline\":\"1962 Tatra 603 – Project Profile\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-03-19T10:40:52+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-09-12T09:21:15+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/1962-tatra-603-project-profile\/\"},\"wordCount\":1076,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"air-cooled V8. Tatra V8\",\"automotive\",\"barn find\",\"carandclassic\",\"carandclassic.co.uk\",\"classic car\",\"motoring\",\"project car\",\"restoration project\",\"retro car\",\"Tatra\",\"Tatra 603\",\"V8\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Project Profile\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/1962-tatra-603-project-profile\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/1962-tatra-603-project-profile\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/1962-tatra-603-project-profile\/\",\"name\":\"1962 Tatra 603 - Project Profile - Car & Classic Magazine\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2020-03-19T10:40:52+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-09-12T09:21:15+00:00\",\"description\":\"The Tatra 603 is a weird, but wonderful machine. Spacious, futuristic \u2018Jetsons\u2019 styling and a rear-mounted air-cooled V8 make this a car like no other.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/1962-tatra-603-project-profile\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/1962-tatra-603-project-profile\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/1962-tatra-603-project-profile\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"1962 Tatra 603 – Project Profile\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/\",\"name\":\"Car & Classic Magazine\",\"description\":\"The latest in the classic car world - articles, news, how to's, advice and more\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Car and Classic Limited\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.co.uk\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Car-and-Classic-Square-Green-Background-Large.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.co.uk\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Car-and-Classic-Square-Green-Background-Large.png\",\"width\":4262,\"height\":3881,\"caption\":\"Car and Classic Limited\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/#\/schema\/person\/9faf82502e956d89ea59bb842c637f39\",\"name\":\"Car & Classic\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/df8ff943eb64ce998eeba2661f03a69a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/df8ff943eb64ce998eeba2661f03a69a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Car & Classic\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/author\/car-and-classic\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"1962 Tatra 603 - Project Profile - Car & Classic Magazine","description":"The Tatra 603 is a weird, but wonderful machine. Spacious, futuristic \u2018Jetsons\u2019 styling and a rear-mounted air-cooled V8 make this a car like no other.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/1962-tatra-603-project-profile\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"1962 Tatra 603 - Project Profile - Car & Classic Magazine","og_description":"The Tatra 603 is a weird, but wonderful machine. Spacious, futuristic \u2018Jetsons\u2019 styling and a rear-mounted air-cooled V8 make this a car like no other.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/1962-tatra-603-project-profile\/","og_site_name":"Car & Classic Magazine","article_published_time":"2020-03-19T10:40:52+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-09-12T09:21:15+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/03\/12867667.jpg","width":875,"height":565,"type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Car & Classic","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Car & Classic","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/1962-tatra-603-project-profile\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/1962-tatra-603-project-profile\/"},"author":{"name":"Car & Classic","@id":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/#\/schema\/person\/9faf82502e956d89ea59bb842c637f39"},"headline":"1962 Tatra 603 – Project Profile","datePublished":"2020-03-19T10:40:52+00:00","dateModified":"2024-09-12T09:21:15+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/1962-tatra-603-project-profile\/"},"wordCount":1076,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/#organization"},"keywords":["air-cooled V8. Tatra V8","automotive","barn find","carandclassic","carandclassic.co.uk","classic car","motoring","project car","restoration project","retro car","Tatra","Tatra 603","V8"],"articleSection":["Project Profile"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/1962-tatra-603-project-profile\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/1962-tatra-603-project-profile\/","url":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/1962-tatra-603-project-profile\/","name":"1962 Tatra 603 - Project Profile - Car & Classic Magazine","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/#website"},"datePublished":"2020-03-19T10:40:52+00:00","dateModified":"2024-09-12T09:21:15+00:00","description":"The Tatra 603 is a weird, but wonderful machine. Spacious, futuristic \u2018Jetsons\u2019 styling and a rear-mounted air-cooled V8 make this a car like no other.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/1962-tatra-603-project-profile\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/1962-tatra-603-project-profile\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/1962-tatra-603-project-profile\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"1962 Tatra 603 – Project Profile"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/","name":"Car & Classic Magazine","description":"The latest in the classic car world - articles, news, how to's, advice and more","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/#organization","name":"Car and Classic Limited","url":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.co.uk\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Car-and-Classic-Square-Green-Background-Large.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.co.uk\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Car-and-Classic-Square-Green-Background-Large.png","width":4262,"height":3881,"caption":"Car and Classic Limited"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/#\/schema\/person\/9faf82502e956d89ea59bb842c637f39","name":"Car & Classic","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/df8ff943eb64ce998eeba2661f03a69a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/df8ff943eb64ce998eeba2661f03a69a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Car & Classic"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.carandclassic.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/author\/car-and-classic\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5733"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/36"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5733"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5733\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31371,"href":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5733\/revisions\/31371"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}