T87 1947 for sale

Before aerodynamics became a hallmark of automotive design, Hans Ledwinka and Erich Übelacker sat down and designed something that looked less like a car built for the roads of the 1930s and more like a harbinger of a new era. The result was the Tatra T87: a rear-engine air-cooled touring sedan of such radical design that the German army would even forbid its officers from driving one — not out of nationalistic pride, but because too many of them were dying at the wheel, seduced by a top speed approaching 100 mph and handling that rewarded the attentive and punished the distracted with gusto. Whether the story is true or not, it has stuck and rather overshadowed how extraordinary this car is, because in pre-war Czechoslovakia, the most technically sophisticated motor vehicles in the world were being quietly built. Produced between 1936 and 1950, with only 3,056 examples completed during its production life, the T87 is among the rarest and historically significant automobiles of the twentieth century. The silhouette of the T87 remains, to this day, extraordinarily modern. Inspired by the aerodynamic principles of airship designer Paul Jaray, the body is a complete drop of water — low in front, gently rising, then tapering into a distinctive dorsal fin at the rear. That fin is not an affectation; it is a functional stabilizer, directing airflow and preventing the long tail from swaying with high-speed crosswinds. Next to it are large rear air intakes that channel fresh air to the aluminum V8, with overhead cams, mounted behind the rear axle. Three headlights — the central 'Cyclops' lamp that predates the Tucker 48 by over a decade — peer forward from a low, engine-less hood. Flush door handles, flared rear wheels, and flush fenders complete a body with a drag coefficient of about 0.36, measured in full-scale testing: remarkable for any era, extraordinary for 1936. Inside, the T87 offers seating for six on Bauhaus-style benches, with a central speedometer and clear gauges. The beam chassis — Ledwinka's distinctive engineering solution — runs the full length of the car, with fully independent suspension at all four corners and hydraulic brakes.