Tatra does not build many cars like the Tatra 81: a Conventional with 12.5 L Tatra 81 V8 diesel, built from 1939 to 1942 when streamlining and independent suspension were arriving together.
How it came about
The Tatra 81 was heavy-duty truck model made by Czech manufacturer Tatra between 1940 and 1942. The development was ordered by German government in the aftermath of the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1939 and was complete the same year. It was mainly used in Germany by Ordnungspolizei, but few were utilized by Wehrmacht to ferry supplies. The vehicle had an 8-cylinder diesel engine with 12,467 cc (12.467 L) rated to 117.8 kW (158.0 hp) power. It had 4 forward gears and 1 reverse gear.
The truck chassis, based on the Tatra backbone chassis conception, has 5,700 kg (12,600 lb) empty weight. The truck was rated for 6,500 kg (14,300 lb) payload. The Tatra 81 was capable of traveling at 65 km/h (40 mph). The civilian use Tatra 81H and Tatra 81HB were fitted with wood gas generator and a 14726 cc, 110.4 kW (148.0 hp) power engine working on wood gas. To avoid drastic reduction of the engine power, the pistons diameter was increased by 10 mm (0.39 in).
The hardware
Under the skin sits 12.5 L Tatra 81 V8 diesel; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. Kerb weight is 12200 kg. The wheelbase is 5170 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Family and rivals
Where it sits in Tatra's history is not in doubt: the Tatra 111 followed it. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Lincoln Continental, the Volkswagen Beetle, the Chrysler Windsor. Its Tatra stablemates include the Tatra 10 and the Tatra 600 kabriolet.
The money
There is no federal ownership record for the Tatra 81 — it predates the complaint database or was never sold in the United States — so MotorJury publishes no running-cost figure for it. For a car of this age the price is set by the collector market and the condition of the individual example, not by a formula.