Tatra 57, also known as Hadimrška, was a small car produced between 1931 and 1948. This car became one of the most widespread cars in pre-war Czechoslovakia due to its reliability and easy maintenance. The Czechoslovak army used the Tatra 57 from the mid-1930s, with most cars often modified as open convertibles with canvas roofs. During World War II, these cars served not only in the Czechoslovak army but also in the German Wehrmacht and the Slovak army. The Tatra 57 proved to be a robust and versatile vehicle capable of handling the demanding conditions of military deployment. The design was so successful that it led to the creation of a special military vehicle, the Tatra 57K, for the Wehrmacht, whose production continued even after the war1.
Tatra 57 was not only the most numerous passenger car produced by Tatra (a total of 27,000 units were produced), but also the most numerous passenger car in the pre-war Czechoslovak army. The vehicles were also exported in significant numbers, and licensed production took place in Austria. The basic model Tatra 57 was followed by an improved version called the 57A. The engine power was increased to 20 horsepower, and the body was modified. However, in contemporary materials, the designation Tatra 57 is also found for this version. This version was then followed by an even more powerful version, the Tatra 57B, whose engine had an increased displacement and power of 25 horsepower. Externally, the versions were distinguished at first glance by a different engine grille.
As the first, we are bringing to the market a model of a shortened convertible based on the Tatra 57A. This car was originally acquired in the 1930s for driver training (hence it did not have a luggage compartment at the back and the body was significantly shortened), but subsequent events led these vehicles to the Eastern Front of World War II in the ranks of the Slovak army. One more note – the army did not distinguish much between the Tatra 57 and 57A, so we use only 57A in the kit designation. Also, the name “short convertible” cannot be found in contemporary materials. Here, we have labeled the kit according to the actual modification of the vehicle.
The second kit based on this legend is an ambulance vehicle prepared on order from the Protectorate administration during World War II by the bodywork company Sodomka for the needs of the hospital in Hradec Králové. The model of this vehicle has a fully equipped interior and shows how skillfully the designers managed to fit a stretcher with a patient into a relatively small car.
By the end of 2024, we will also bring to the market models of a major military convertible based on the Tatra 57A, which was used in several hundred units by the pre-war Czechoslovak army and later adopted by both the Slovak army and the Wehrmacht.
And the pre-Christmas market will still catch the Tatra 57stw – a utility vehicle based on the Tatra 57A. Here we will bring an interesting camouflage of a specific vehicle with documented history. The vehicle was manufactured in the late 1930s for a baker, only to be confiscated by the Wehrmacht a few months later, and photographs document its use by the German army in the Protectorate territory. Interestingly, the vehicle remained in its original color and markings so that it could be returned to its original owner after the war, who then hid it from a second confiscation in the late 1940s.
The models we mention are in the “Profi” version and include, in addition to very high-quality castings from new metal molds prepared using 3D technology, cast wheels, and a photo-etched sheet. The latter is particularly large in the last mentioned kit because it also includes the characteristic luggage rack on the roof of the car.
https://attack-kits.eu/tatra-57-army-cabrio-short-1-72.html
https://attack-kits.eu/tatra-57-ambulance-1-72.html
