Start with what the Tatra 97 is: a Fastback sedan with 1.8L Tatra 97 F4, built from 1936 to 1939, when streamlining and independent suspension were arriving together. What it meant takes a little longer. The shape is credited to Hans Ledwinka, Erich Ledwinka, Erich Übelacker.
Under the skin
The engine is 1.8L Tatra 97 F4. On the scales it comes to 1150 kg. Drive goes through a 4-speed manual. The layout matters: the engine hangs behind the rear axle, a layout that gives ferocious traction out of a corner and a reputation to match on the way in. The wheelbase is 2600 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
In context
In the Tatra line-up the Tatra 97 has a clear place: it replaced the Tatra 75; it handed the line to the Tatra 600. The cars a buyer would have weighed it against include the Bugatti Type 57, the Volkswagen Beetle, the Chevrolet Suburban. Nearby in the Tatra catalogue sit the Tatra 10 and the Tatra 600 kabriolet.
Owning one today
MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the Tatra 97 has none: too old, too rare, or never sold there. Its value today is a collector's question, decided by provenance and condition rather than by a class average.