The Zeppelin airships used in World War I were responsible for Germany’s early interest in streamlining – the aerodynamics of these big structures needed careful treatment if they were to reach a reasonable speed. With the end of the war and enforced disarmament, Zeppelin engineer and aerodynamicist Paul Jaray (1889–1974) set out to apply the new science of streamlining to cars, eventually setting up the Jaray Streamline Carriage Company in Zurich, Switzerland.
In 1930 Hans Ledwinka (1878–1967), chief designer for Tatra in Czechoslovakia, with design engineer Erich Übelacker, decided that properly streamlined bodywork would be the next important technical development. Ledwinka was one of the great geniuses of automotive design and had already introduced now-standard items, such as four-wheel brakes and independent suspension, before many others.
To realize the ideal Jaray shape properly, a rear engine was needed, which Ledwinka liked because it made for an unusually quiet interior and dispensed with the propeller shaft between front engine and rear wheels. This gave a low floor with greater leg space, fewer power losses and higher efficiency. The early 850cc rear-engined Tatra had a highly suggestive resemblance to the first prototypes for the KdF-Wagen, or Volkswagen, and it is alleged that Tatra’s successors received a substantial legal settlement from VW after World War II for design infringement.
The Tatra streamline concept reached its height with the very fast 3-litre air-cooled eight-cylinder T87. This was capable of 100 mph and was a particular favourite with German army officers – until, that is, crashes on the new autobahn system led to the Reichswehr banning the model. As Volkswagen and Porsche designs were also to show, the ‘pendulum swing’ of a rear engine can bring dangerous handling on fast corners. Although not fully resolved, and despite a slightly homemade feel to the body panels, the Tatra streamlined shape is a poignant relic of a vanished Middle European modernity.
A relic of a vanished European modernity? Sadly, Tatra never recovered the prestige it enjoyed before World War II, though it did, under communist direction, go on to build serviceable trucks.