Tatra 2-603 II
A compact air-cooled V8 lived behind the passengers in a large streamlined official car with no radiator grille to feed.
1967 Tatra 603 · dave_7 · CC BY-SA 2.0
Research pending
A matching completed auction sale has not been verified for this exact year, body, trim, engine, transmission and market.
Joyride shows this gap instead of substituting an asking price, unsold bid or mismatched special vehicle.
More than a set of wheels.
Tatra created the 603 as a prestigious post-war saloon for official duties. The first version's three lamps gave way in 1962 to the four-headlamp 2-603. The 1967 car still wore the narrow, close-set arrangement nicknamed Šilhavka before the broader 1968/1969 front appeared. Its air-cooled V8 sat at the back, continuing Tatra's long tradition of streamlined rear-engine cars.
Look a little closer.
The gear-change rod ran through the car's central structural tunnel all the way to the rear-mounted gearbox.
Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.
Reading the face correctly
The 603 changed appearance more than once, and later factory rebuilds could replace whole bodies. The museum calls the 1964–1967 close-four-lamp version Šilhavka and distinguishes it from the later wide-mask car. That makes the nose an important clue, but surviving bodies still need documentation.
Source: Tatra Technical Museum · collection 603-2 ↗Why an air-cooled V8 suited Tatra
With the V8 behind the cabin, air cooling removed the need for long coolant pipes running to a front radiator. The trade-off was a carefully ducted fan and a rear-heavy layout. Tatra combined that package with independent suspension and an aerodynamic six-passenger body.
Source: Tatra Portal · T603 technical data ↗Where these facts come from
- Tatra Technical Museum · 603-2 collection history
- Tatra Portal · T603 technical data
- Tatra Register UK · T603 history
Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed 2026-10-02.