TATRA 11 – year 1923

Manufacturer: Tatra plants, joint stock company, Koprivnica, Czechoslovakia.

In the 1930s, an independent wheel suspension was promoted in the chassis structure. Pioneering work in this field was performed by the Czechoslovakian company Tatra, releasing in 1923 r. Tatra type 11 as the first series model with independent wheel suspension.

This car, coming from the Koprivnicka Factory, it had an air-cooled 2-cylinder engine with counter-rotating pistons and valves in the cylinder head. Engine at cylinder bore 82 mm and piston stroke 100 mm had a capacity 1056 cm3 and power 8,8 kW (12 KM) by 2800 RPM. The power unit was cooled by a fan. Bosch magneto was used for ignition. The engine block with the clutch and gearbox was bolted to a central tubular frame. Power was transferred via a dry three-disc clutch and a 4-speed gearbox to the rear swing shafts. The modern chassis had semi-elliptical transverse leaf springs at the front and rear. Do 1 926 r. in Tatra 11 the brakes only acted on the rear wheels. Only a new type - Tatra 12 received mechanical brakes on 4 wheels. The car was produced in various body variants, like: convertible, limousine, landaulet, delivery truck, sports, etc.. In the 2-seat version, the Tatra had its own weight 760 kg and developed speed 70 km/h.

Mała Tatra also gained fame in the sports field. W 1924 r. factory driver Wermirovski on the Tatra Mountains 11 won the Grand Prize at the Solitude circuit in Stuttgart. A year later, Tatra won the general classification of the largest races in the USSR, on the route Leningrad - Moscow - Kharkiv - Rostov - Tbilisi, counting 5300 km. With medium consumption 7,6 l / km won the competition 78 cars of all brands of the world. In the same year, the Tatra company became known all over the world, especially after being occupied by two Tatra Mountains 11 on the famous Targa Florio circuit in Italy, first and second in its class. In years 1927 — 1929 Tatra also took part in many sports events in Poland.