Tatra T87 (1936-1951).

The Tatra T87 of Yvette and Jacques Kupélian, lovers and connoisseurs of the brand, acquired this Tatra at the end of the 60s. A bill attests the date of May 25, 1968 for a Tatra with engine number 222013 but erroneously dated 1939 bought from Mr. Coorevits in Hoeilaart for the sum of 500 francs. The Belgian registration book that accompanies it tells us that it had been purchased as a 1947 model on May 4, 1948 at the Gilbert establishments, dealer of the brand on Chaussée de Waterloo in the Bascule district in Brussels. It is then registered in the name of the Sprl Acelmec, avenue de la Couronne in Ixelles then Rue Georges Huynen in Hoeilaart . The manufacturer's plate which accompanies the booklet mentions a capacity of 2960 cm3 and a number 69260 corresponding to the booklet.the examination of the bodywork reveals on various elements (front and rear hoods, crossbar) a number stamped concordant: 550375.Originally equipped with an 8-cylinder block numbered 222013, Jacques and Yvette complained in 1980 about the poor condition of this one and contacted the Raffayr garage in Hamburg which had a spare engine that they acquired on May 7, 1980 for the sum of 750 Deutsche Mark.We believe that Jacques and Yvettes did not drive this Tatra for a long time, but they started a patient and unfinished restoration. The silver-grey bodywork with a sunroof that is practically rust-free and corrosion-free has a very tired paint job, the engine seems to have been totally reconditioned, the wheel arches, floors and running gear have been stripped, repainted or reconditioned. The interior is lined with red leather. 3,000 examples were produced (3023 or 3056 according to sources) between 1936 and 1951, many of which were destroyed (World War II, performance and road holding requiring mastery...) T87s are very rare on the collector car market, the Kupélian couple's example is now back in the light after 54 years in the darkness of a garage. It is looking for a new owner who can appreciate its uniqueness and give it back the brilliance of the 30's/40's. Note: the original engine block 222013 (out of use), accompanies the car and will be given to the buyer.Launched in 1936 by the Czechoslovakian manufacturer, the T87 is the result of research aimed at revolutionizing the automobile started with the very confidential T77.Its designers are Hans Ledwinka (1878-1967) who considers it his masterpiece, the Hungarian aerodynamicist Paul Jaray (1889-1974) who worked on the design of the Zeppelin and the engineer Erich Ubelacker (1899-1977) who imagines a car where function takes precedence over form in the spirit of Bauhaus.Driven by a powerful air-cooled v8 engine and placed at the rear to give maximum space to the occupants, the T87 receives a very pure and very worked dress at the same time, totally new for the time making disappear all the vocabulary of the bodyworks of the time (projecting wings, footboards, straight lines, rear trunk..) for the benefit of a stripped line with the singular stern crossed by a spoiler. The T87 was ahead of the new Citroën Traction and the Chrysler Airflower, which had also implemented new designs. Very well built, powerful and expensive, the T87 was aimed at an elite group that welcomed it. The annexation by Germany of the Sudetenland territory and then the war put the factory under the control of the invader, who saw the brand as trying to develop cars that competed directly with the VW Beetle, which was then in the making. A long trial between Volkswagen and Tatra followed after the war, to the benefit of the Czech brand.After the war the model is renewed, practically without modification for the years 46 and 47 which always present the three prominent front lights, but this time with the identical diameter, in 48 those are integrated into the front face and the motorization evolves, in 1951 the model is stopped definitively.Produced to about 3.000 copies, the T87 were among the fastest cars of their time, supported by a very well studied aerodynamics, their powerful v8 took them easily to 160 kilometers at the hour on the rare freeways of the time at the price of a reasonable consumption provided that they mastered their particular road holding born of their architecture "all at the back". Many drivers who were too sure of themselves experienced this, including many German officers who requisitioned T87s during the war, so much so that they were nicknamed the "Nazi Killer" during those years. Later, when peace returned, Vw cocc