Tatra 54

The Tatra 54 is an automobile that Tatra launched in 1931 as an economy version of the Tatra 52, and the Tatra 75 replaced it in 1933. It was powered by an overhead valve air-cooled four-cylinder boxer motor of 1,465 cc, mounted at the front and giving a claimed 22 PS, driving the rear wheels through a four-speed gearbox. Like the other Tatras of the period it used the central backbone chassis that was a hallmark of design chief Hans Ledwinka, with the front axle on a transverse leaf spring and a second transverse leaf spring carrying the swing rear axle. Various four- and six-seater saloon bodies with two or four doors were available, and 1,510 were built in a production run of about three years. The article also records the transitional Tatra 54/30 versions that fitted the stronger Tatra 30 engine.