Barn Finds
Rare early streamlined Tatra emerges from a Somerset barn
Tatra’s T600 Tatraplan ended its all-too-brief production run in 1952, with around 6350 built. In concept it was a slightly smaller, less complex T87, with an air-cooled pushrod flat-four in the tail and seating for five or six in the streamlined monocoque body.
This one was sold through Charterhouse Auctions in Shepton Mallet days before we went to press. It came to the UK sometime before the mid-eighties when the vendor acquired it, possibly serving here as transport for the Czech Embassy.
For the past 30-plus years it’s been dry stored and awaiting restoration. It was never registered here – or if it was, the plates and paperwork have vanished – but during the extraction process from its resting place in Somerset, Charterhouse’s Matthew Whitney and the car’s owner persuaded it to run with some fresh petrol and hot-wired ignition.
‘The owner originally intended to drive it to our sale, only about eight miles from his home,’ says Whitney. ‘In the end he took another view and towed it here with his Rolls-royce Silver Shadow. It attracted bids from all over Europe, with people from Germany, Italy, Poland and the Czech Republic competing with bidders in the room. It was bought by a bidder from Slovakia and the car will be returning there for restoration.’
Whitney describes some rust in the door bottoms, generally flaky paint and a layer of grime over most areas, but the car is complete and was driven into the auction hall. The hammer price of £14,000 seemed a reasonable buy despite all the interest – you could wait a long time to see another one for sale in unrestored condition.