In the tradition of the flat four Tatraplan of 1954
was the Tatra 603, complete with air-cooled V8 rear mounted
engine.
The small 2.5 liter V8 was made of alloy, which in turn
kept weight down, and cooling was provided by two belt-driven
scavenge-blowers and a thermostatically controlled grille
opening in the bumper.
The 603 was designed for comfort and did not have any
sports car pretentions - the small V8 motor only producing
a little over 100bhp.
With all the mechanicals in the rear the floor plan is
almost entirely flat, and design changes during its production
life centered mostly on the front grille where the lights
and grille assemblies were modified.
Production ceased in 1975 with the introduction of the
Tatra 613.
