RSS Petrolicious samples the finned and fantastic Tatra T87

[Ringo64]

Filed under: Classics, Sedan, Videos

There are a lot of weird things in Los Angeles. There are weird people, weird buildings, and there are some especially weird cars. The automotive melting pot that is the City of Angels has any number of hidden treasures, and Paul Greenstein just happens to own one of the strangest - the Tatra T87.

For those not in the know, Tatra was a Czech brand that, today, builds semis. In the past, though, it built a number of innovative cars, not least of which was the T87. Only about 3,000 of the finned sedans were built between 1936 and 1950 (a war got in the way), making them one of the rarer offerings of the 1930s and 1940s.

They are delightfully, wonderfully weird. Sitting underneath that big dorsal fin is an air-cooled, 3.0-liter V8 with a spritely 85 horsepower. Despite the engine's modest output, the T87 can claim a top speed of almost 100 miles per hour, thanks to its sleek shape. This Tatra was one of the first vehicles use a wind tunnel in its design, giving it a drag coefficient of 0.36 (an impressive figure for its time).

Believe it or not, this isn't actually Greenstein and his Tatra's first time on the digital pages of Autoblog. Proving that it's one of the finest examples of a rare breed in the US, Greenstein's black sedan was named the The New York Times 2010 Collectible Car of the Year. Now, it's gotten just a smidge more famous, thanks to the video gurus at Petrolicious. Scroll down, and let us know what you think.

Continue reading Petrolicious samples the finned and fantastic Tatra T87

Petrolicious samples the finned and fantastic Tatra T87 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 09 Apr 2014 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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