Tatra 613 Special: Do you want to be a ‘party leader’. It won’t be cheap – True

This “communist rolls” is associated with the era of socialism. And what’s more, with her party leaders. Quite simply, the Tatra 613 Special was probably the most “papaláška” car of the time we spent behind the Iron Curtain. Now one of them is for sale. Photo: Retro Garage Tatra 613 Special – 1989 Tatra 613 Special will come to the auction in a “full field”. There are also flags on the fenders and headlight wipers. The main difference compared to regular 613s are the rectangular lights, more chrome and rear-view mirrors from Mercedes-Benz. Tatra 613 was the swan song of Tatra. At the time of its creation, i.e. in 1974, it undoubtedly belonged to modern cars, but it was produced for an incredible 21 years. Time diminished its attractiveness, while the famous Czech car manufacturer did not have enough funds for a new model after decades of communist rule. With the Tatra 613, respectively the Tatra 700, which was only a modernized 613, the chapter in the production of Tatra passenger cars was definitively closed. Her image also suffered from the fact that she served exclusively the regime – company heads or party and government leaders. This was especially true of the extended version of the Special. Read more Tatra 603: This is how the French modified it 15 years ago. It was ahead of its time. The “papaláši” literally designed it for themselves. The concept with an air-cooled 8-cylinder with a volume of 3.5 liters and an output of 124 kW remained unchanged, but the total length was increased by a full 150 cm. So that the passengers in the back have more space. It showed its luxurious DNA with some design changes. The most significant optical difference was the angular front headlights finished with large direction lights and larger rear combined lights. Both the rear lights and the front indicators received a surface indentation, which was used by several Western European brands at the time, especially Mercedes-Benz. Headlights with chrome trim could be equipped with wipers and washers. Of course, the front mask was also new. Photo: Retro Garage Tatra 613 Special – 1989 The wheelbase and the entire length of the vehicle were stretched by 150 mm. So that there is enough legroom in the back. At the back, the extended version had wider lights. Holders for national flags have been added to the front fenders. The inclination of the chrome exterior mirrors was regulated from the interior. The outer door handles were also different. An interesting detail is the removal of the ventilation grill on the C-pillars. The Tatra 613 Special received a wider strip of the rear triangular window, which also fulfilled this function. If desired, a warning siren could be mounted behind the front bumper. However, the main emphasis was on luxury in the cabin. It all started with a larger rear door opening angle. The seats and internal fillings had richer velor upholstery, more prominent side lines, a minibar was added at the back, and in the first versions there was a hidden storage space in place of the middle seat. Photo: Retro Garáž Tatra 613 Special – 1989 The interior still attracts richly upholstered seats. There is also a minibar, air conditioning, a Blaupunkt radio and electric window controls. Originally, the luxurious Tatra was supposed to be equipped with self-retracting belts on the back seats, but practice has shown that they bothered the rear passengers, so most of the models left the factory with self-retracting belts only on the front seats. The Tatra 613 S was equipped with a tachograph from the start. After all, it was a company vehicle. Already at that time, the Tatra 613 Special had air conditioning, electric control of all windows, hydraulic power steering, central locking and cruise control. In 1980 something incredible. A curiosity was the mount for the Škorpión vz. 61. A Blaupunkt car radio with four speakers, as well as a recording device, took care of musical well-being. Photo: Retro Garage Tatra 613 Special – 1989 Don’t doubt the comfort in the back seats. In addition, it was easier to get in thanks to the extended doors. For the sake of reliability, there were also changes to the engine. The extended 613 had a modified 8-cylinder with double ignition, in addition to the standard fuel pump, another backup electric pump and a finer fuel filter were added to the system. The aluminum oil cooler and cylinder material were also modified. The preparation of the mixture was taken care of by the Jikov carburetor. The engine received a lower protective cover. The rubber brake hoses were protected by steel bands. The Tatra 613 Special was also the first type to have a brake lining wear indicator on the instrument panel. So Tatra thought more about the safety of the crew than its crew about the well-being of the people of the country they represented. Photo: Retro Garáž Tatra 613 Special – 1989 This air-cooled 3.5 V8 engine has dual ignition and 124 kW power. If you happen to have the desire to own such a car, here is an exceptional opportunity. Exactly this Tatra, of which only a few examples were produced, is heading to an auction organized by Retro Garáž at the end of October. This specimen, produced in the revolutionary year of 1989, even has a Slovak past, as it was driven in the service of the Slovak government. It is hard to say whether he enjoyed the communist government more, or rather the government after the fall of the regime in November. It looks in pretty good condition. It has all the luxury features – from air conditioning to cruise control and mirrors from the Mercedes-Benz W116. There is also a minibar and the aforementioned tachograph. Read more Tatra 700: Swan song from Kopřivnica is 25 years old. The constructor mentions it. The vehicle has a valid license plate and valid Czech documents. The starting price will be 80,000 euros. The seller admits some cosmetic defects, for example on the paint, but also the replacement of the original fuel pump with a non-original, but functional one. The massive engine should be fine, as should the manual 4-speed transmission. This means that with this communist colossus, you could even today experience the thrill of acceleration to 100 km/h in 12.7 seconds and experience the intoxication of a maximum speed of 200 km/h. It’s just a question of whether it’s worth it. And even at the gas station, because the T613 Special was one of the really thirsty cars. At a steady speed of 90 km/h, she got by with 10.5 liters of fuel, but in the city, almost 18 liters of gasoline ran out of her tank after a hundred kilometers.