Tatra 54
Encyclopedia
The Tatra 54 was an automobile launched by Tatra
in 1931. An economy version of the Tatra 52, it was replaced in 1933 by the Tatra 75
.
The car was powered by an ohv air-cooled four-cylinder boxer motor
of 1465 cc, positioned at the front, and giving a claimed output of 22 PS. Power was delivered to the front wheels via a four-speed gear-box. The Tatra 54 featured a central "backbone chassis" a hallmark of Design Chief Ledwinka
: the front axle was supported by a transverse leaf spring while a second transverse leaf spring supported the swing rear axle.
Various four- and six-seater saloon bodies were available with two or four doors. During its three-year production run, 1510 Tatra 54s were built.
. Although the initial model of T30 is easily distinguishable from last T54, the interim years of production make it sometimes difficult to differentiate, which type a given car might be. The most visible differences cover:
Tatra (car)
Tatra is a vehicle manufacturer in Kopřivnice, Czech Republic. The company was founded in 1850 as Schustala & Company later renamed Nesselsdorfer Wagenbau-Fabriksgesellschaft, a wagon and carriage manufacturer, and in 1897 produced the first motor car in central Europe, the Präsident. In 1918, it...
in 1931. An economy version of the Tatra 52, it was replaced in 1933 by the Tatra 75
Tatra 75
The Tatra 75 is a middle class automobile introduced in 1933 by Tatra as a replacement for their Type 54 model.The front-mounted ohv air-cooled boxer motor of only 1688 cc had an advertised output of just 30 hp . Attention was paid to weight reduction, with light metal used for the...
.
The car was powered by an ohv air-cooled four-cylinder boxer motor
Flat-4
A flat-4 or horizontally opposed-4 is a flat engine with four cylinders arranged horizontally in two banks of two cylinders on each side of a central crankcase...
of 1465 cc, positioned at the front, and giving a claimed output of 22 PS. Power was delivered to the front wheels via a four-speed gear-box. The Tatra 54 featured a central "backbone chassis" a hallmark of Design Chief Ledwinka
Hans Ledwinka
Hans Ledwinka was an Austrian automobile designer.- Youth :Ledwinka was born was born in Klosterneuburg , near Vienna, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire....
: the front axle was supported by a transverse leaf spring while a second transverse leaf spring supported the swing rear axle.
Various four- and six-seater saloon bodies were available with two or four doors. During its three-year production run, 1510 Tatra 54s were built.
Differences between Tatra 30, Tatra 54 and Tatra 54/30
In the 1930s there was rather gradual evolution of Tatra models rather than sudden revolutionary succession, which is typical for auto manufacturers today. In this sense we can see mid-types, which were typical especially for T30, as the car was in production during the economical crisesGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. Although the initial model of T30 is easily distinguishable from last T54, the interim years of production make it sometimes difficult to differentiate, which type a given car might be. The most visible differences cover:
- T54 twodoor looks the same as T30 and T52. The undercarriage is the same as T30 - it has the same front axle, the same gearbox, same rear axle (although with less leaf springs), and the backbone tube is also similar (its length corresponds with given carrossery). The main differentiating characteristic is, that T54 has the bottom edge of the doors at the same height as the sidestep, while T30 has the bottom edge higher than sidestep. There also isn't any steel edge between the bonnet and the front window.
- T54/30 twodoor has the same carrossery as the classical T54. The only difference is that it uses the stronger T30 engine.
- T54/30 fourdoor has a modified carrossery from Tatra 52. It is a kind of transitional type, as it is a merger of older version of T52 and T52's newer carrossery. The roof itself "peaks" over the front window. The adjustment of carrossery lacks the third side window as the roof part is mounted directly behind the second doors. The front door remained unchanged, while the rear doors were adjusted by cutting them in a way to follow the line of the rear mudguard (which makes it look alike Tatra 75Tatra 75The Tatra 75 is a middle class automobile introduced in 1933 by Tatra as a replacement for their Type 54 model.The front-mounted ohv air-cooled boxer motor of only 1688 cc had an advertised output of just 30 hp . Attention was paid to weight reduction, with light metal used for the...
fourdoor). This type was made because there was surplus of parts of the T52 "transitional" model. - T54/30 Ambulance - this car needed long tubeBackbone chassisBackbone tube chassis is a type of an automobile construction chassis that is similar to the body-on-frame design. Instead of a two-dimensional ladder type structure, it consists of a strong tubular backbone that connects the front and rear suspension attachment areas...
and therefore it used the long version of T30's backbone. It had the weaker engine from T54 (probably for its economization). - The first T54s may be liken to the last T12Tatra 11The Tatra T11 was the first Tatra model to use the unique combination of major components that are still in use on the trucks produced by Tatra to this day.-Origins:...
s.
