Tatra 148

The Tatra 148 was a truck produced in Czechoslovakia by the Tatra company. In 1969 Tatra decided to modernise the Tatra 138 with more engine power, speed and reliability and to meet stricter noise and emission rules, and the new series became the T148. Production started in 1972 and ended in December 1982 after a total of 113,647 vehicles, of which about 63,700 were exported to 43 countries, the USSR being the largest customer. It used the proven central backbone tube with independent swing half axles in 4x4 and 6x6 forms and added an inter-axle differential. The air-cooled engine kept the same bore with a stroke longer by 10 mm and cylinder heads at 90 degrees, giving 12.6 litres, and military versions could run on alternative fuels. Top speed was about 80 km/h, and variants included tippers, flatbeds, tractors and the TZ-74 decontamination vehicle.