The project of a beautiful two -seater coupe Tatra C2X remained only a dream. It did not aim at the circuits, it was supposed to be a mobile passive safety laboratory! It was written in 1971.
Tatra 603 C2X – 1971 Tatra 613 C2X was supposed to be an experimental coupe with an emphasis on safety. The authors hoped that they would be able to enforce the project into production. Well, they failed.
At the turn of the sixties and 1970s, there were already in the full stream of work at the Nová Tatra 613. In addition to the development department of the Tatra, which covered the project of a new representative limousine in cooperation with the Italian Vignale, there was also the Prague Structural Office Tatry (PKK), led by Milan Apetaur. It was mainly in charge of the driving system and chassis of the upcoming luxury model. This is one of the reasons why the Prague team attracted other possibilities of using the powerful air -cooled eight -cylinder air.
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It was here that the idea of building a two -door coupe Tatra 613 C was created, which was supposed to be a shortened derivative of the six hundredths, but also a much more ambitious Tatra 613 S sports model, which wanted to compete with the Western icons. For example, Porsche 911, VW-Porsche 914, Renault Apina or Lancia Fulvia. Tatra even considered the drive of both axles. The most powerful version should reach a speed of 230 km/h. In addition, a circuit special of 613 CS should have been created from the “esca”. However, neither of these cars got green.
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On the one hand, Tatra had enough of its own worries, few finishes after the wasted project 603x, and on the other hand, official circles claimed that if such fast vehicles participated in domestic motoring competitions, the organizers would not be able to guarantee the safety of the lines. And so in 1971 another project appeared, which had nothing to do with sports. This is despite the fact that it was a futuristic two -digit coupe. The vehicle was given the code name Tatra 613 C2X. In the submission material, the authors emphasized: “The vehicle is conceived as a security two -digit car and not as a sports car for competitions.” This formulation was not accidental.
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Tatra 603 C2X – 1971 The design, behind which Milan Streček was behind, to see the inspiration of the Italian bodywork. The side suction holes were to bring air to the oil cooler. The authors counted up to 162 kW.
It should not be forgotten that at this time the topic of passive security has begun to gain in the automotive industry. Mercedes-Benz had a W111 on the lines, the first car with deformation zones, and Volvo normally mounted three-point seat belts in its vehicles. She simply sold safety. In this way, Prague’s designers wanted to prevent rejection. In addition, they argued that in the case of imports of some components from capitalist countries, the feasibility of the project is immediate. Tatra 613 C2X counted on the 3-speed automatic transmission Born-Warner. There was no automatic in socialist countries.
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Otherwise, under the rear bonnet of a beautiful coupe, behind the design of which stood by Milan Streček from the Institute for Research on Motor Vehicles (ÚPMV), the Tatra air was to work with a cooled eight -cylinder, with a capacity of 3,495 cc and an output of 200 to 220 hp, ie 147 to 162 kW. A vehicle with a length of 4,100, a width of 1,750 and a height of only 1,220 mm, at a relatively high standby weight, should allow a maximum speed of 220 km/ha to a hundred to accelerate in nine seconds. So the sports ambitions of the Prague development department certainly did not forget.
Even more interesting is the mention of the permanent drive of both axles. The inter -axle differential was to distribute the drive moment in a ratio of 33: 67 % in favor of the rear wheels. This solution would eliminate the biggest disadvantage of the Tatras, which suffered from a great overtake. On the one hand, the rear axle would be more resistant to the slip, as the ASR anti -skid system appeared in cars only fifteen years later, and the coupe would have much better weight distribution (44: 56 %) compared to the Tatra series models.
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And where was the safety? The project envisaged the front axle, steering, distribution and other components on the auxiliary frame that would be released and directed under the vehicle. This would extend the deformation zone. That was a really bold idea. Indeed, Mercedes-Benz came up with a similar solution in 1997, along with the premiere of Class A. Its engine and transmission formed a whole, which was pushed under the passenger cabin force. The C2X interior itself was supposed to be a kind of survival cage.
And there was another “gadget”. A massive front bumper can be seen on the sketch. Streček expected that at higher speeds, this protective element would extend more forward to absorb more kinetic energy. Unfortunately, Tatra C2X remained only a dream. Nor was the security pretext not enough for the project to progress further than to the stage of the reduced clay model. By the way, he recently appeared as a miracle for sale. The owner offered it via Facebook if the advertisement attached several photos of the green coupe.
