AUTOCULT - TATRA - 603 MB MINIBUS CZECH REPUBLIC 1961

In 1961 Tatra designed a minibus for the transport of up to 13 passengers. The bus was equipped with three seat rows for three passengers each at the rear, two single seats in the middle and a seat bench for two passengers at the front. Due to its quite low height, getting into and out of the car could have been slightly onerous. While the front passengers comfortably entered the car through both sides of the car, the rear passengers could only get to their seats through a door on the right side of the bus. A little hand luggage could be pushed under the last row of seats through the two-part rear door. The small volume for suitcases and bags alone showed that from the outset the minibus was intended for local traffic, but by no means for extended journeys. While the engineers at the Tatra plant in Bratislava were working on the chassis and the body, the question of the drive had probably resolved for a long time. The V-8 cylinder engine form the luxury car 603 should be used. The 2.5-litre air-cooled petrol engine produced 95 hp and had been manufactured since 1956. With this drive the prototype was stated with a top speed of 120 km/h – a extremely fast pace for a minibus of that time! In contrast to the luxury passenger sedan, where the drive was positioned in the rear, the designers experimented with the installation above the front axle of the bus. It is not known whether this consideration was due to a low, flat floor panel in the seating area or whether thoughts on the cooling air supply played a role. The large-scale chromed front grille dominated the front design and guaranteed the engine its air supply. The company name ‘TATRA’ stood in large, chrome-plated letters across the front. Internally, the development got the identification ‘603 MB’.