Tatra 87

The Tatra 87 is a streamlined luxury saloon made by the Czechoslovak manufacturer Tatra from 1936 to 1950. It had a rear-mounted, air-cooled 2.9-litre overhead-cam V8 of 85 horsepower and could travel at nearly 160 km/h, which made it one of the fastest production cars of its time while using far less fuel than rivals with much larger engines. Its body was based on the Tatra 77 and drew on the proposals of Paul Jaray, with a tail fin that balanced air pressure along the sloping rear. Hans Ledwinka and Erich Übelacker are credited with the design. After the war, between 1950 and 1953, some cars were refitted with the newer 2.5-litre T603 V8. Hanzelka and Zikmund drove one through Africa and Latin America from 1947 to 1950, and the design influenced Ferdinand Porsche when he drew the Volkswagen Beetle.