Präsident
Encyclopedia
The Präsident was an automobile manufactured by Nesselsdorfer Wagenbau-Fabriks-Gesellschaft A.G.
(NW, now known as Tatra) in 1897. Together with Lohner car, it was the first actually driveble factory made petrol-engined automobile produced in Austria-Hungary
as well as in Central and Eastern Europe
(save the attempt of Siegfried Marcus
of Vienna to build a self-propelled car in 1875). It was constructed by Leopold Sviták and Hans Ledwinka
. The automobile was more of a carriage without horses than a car in modern sense. The car is steered via handlebars (while most of the cars of the era had a clique). The wooden bodywork is placed on an iron frame. It has four seats and a convertible top that would cover only the rear seats. Both axles have suspension of semi-elliptical leaf springs. The wheels were similar to the ones of a horse carriage, but had a rubber tyres. The car had a two cylinder spark ignition Benz engine placed by the rear axle.
, started to manufacture horse carriages at his own farm. In 1853 he borrowed some money and established a small manufacturing business. Initially the horse carriages were made there, but soon it started manufacturing also rail wagons. Shortly before his death Ignác Šustala established a joint stock company Nesselsdorfer Wagenfabrik.
The company's director Hugo Fischer bought from Carl Benz one Benz Phaeton automobile as well as a latest Benz engine; this was instigated by Baron Theodor Liebig of Liberec
, whose 2500 km (1,553.4 mi) drive of 1894 around Europe without any major difficulties brought fame to Benz Viktoria
and consequent Carl Benz's gratitude. The Phaeton was used as a model for construction of the factory's first car in 1897, however it isn't the Phaeton's copy, whole new conception was applied. Leopold Sviták, the factory's foreman, was head of the construction works. The automobile was named the Präsident; the construction was finished in May 1898.
The bodywork was derived from a horse carriage of Mylord type
. At the time NW was renowned in the monarchy for its luxurious carriages, and the automobile itself was made in according fashion.
It was able to reach up to 30 kilometre per hour. It seated four, the two rear seats could be covered by a convertible top. The car was steered by handlebars. Tilting of the handlebars forward and backward served to change gears (forward - lower gear). The wheels were wooden with gum tyre.
Immediately the first automobile was finished, it drove from Kopřivnice
to Vienna
to take part in an Auto show
. The drivers were Hugo Fischer and Baron Theodor Liebig. It took 14.5 hours to travel the distance of 328 kilometres (203.8 mi) - the average travel speed was 22.6 kilometre per hour and there were no significant defects during the first drive.
The unique features of the car were a differential and functional bumper.
There were a few reasons why the replica was built. First of all, the company wanted to have the Präsident for the jubilee celebrations, and secondly the original underwent modifications of engine, accessory, lights, the convertible top as well as of the colour livery, and thus it couldn't represent the factory's very first car. The work on replica started in march 1974 and were scheduled to be finished on 1 May 1977.
60 original papers of design documentation survived, however another 1150 had to be made, for which purposes the original Präsident was used. The manufacture took place in Tatra factory and was conducted by its engineers as well as retired workers of technical department.
The engine was manufactured also by Tatra. Four of them were made - one for the "new" Präsident, one for the National Technical Museum, where it is on exposition near the original Präsident (which has a larger engine than it was made with), and the two other were made to be joined as a four-cylinder used in a replica of the First Truck
. The replica is driveable and is on display in Tatra factory museum.
In 1899, the NW-cars Wien and Nesselsdorf, achieved their first significant racing success on the trotter course at the Prater Park
in Vienna
. It was the first race in Austrian monarchy at all - started on October 23, 1899. The driver of the winning NW-car Wien was baron Theodor von Liebig. The other NW-car Nesselsdorf was the second one before all concurente of four Benz-cars and four Dietrich-Bolleé cars. Liebig won also other races later, which led to manufacture of first true race car made by NW - the Rennzweier
.
For later models the alphabets were used (A, B, S, T
, U ...), and since about 1921 as the company changed name to Tatra, it uses numbers to name the models (11
, 12
, 20
...). One year after the manufacture of Präsident, the First Truck
was built. The manufacture of cars continued in Kopřivnice till 1998 with the last car Tatra T700
. The manufacture of heavy duty trucks continues up today.
Even today's models (i.e. Tatra 815) follow the unique design features (such as backbone tube with swinging half-axles
) which were introduced by Hans Ledwinka
in 1920s, who himself took part in construction of the Präsident. Throughout the time Tatra introduced to automotive world revolutionary concepts such as modern car aerodynamics through model Tatra T77
or design of a "peoples car" through Tatra V570
and Tatra T97
. However 40 years of planned economy in Czechoslovakia made the company to specialize in heavy off-road trucks while the manufacture of cars was only subsidiary. The turmoil years after the Velvet revolution
brought Tatra to the edge of bankruptcy and consequently the manufacture of cars was abandoned, while only the production of heavy-duty trucks continues.
Tatra (car)
Tatra is a vehicle manufacturer in Kopřivnice, Czech Republic. The company was founded in 1850 as Schustala & Company later renamed Nesselsdorfer Wagenbau-Fabriksgesellschaft, a wagon and carriage manufacturer, and in 1897 produced the first motor car in central Europe, the Präsident. In 1918, it...
(NW, now known as Tatra) in 1897. Together with Lohner car, it was the first actually driveble factory made petrol-engined automobile produced in Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
as well as in Central and Eastern Europe
Central and Eastern Europe
Central and Eastern Europe is a term describing former communist states in Europe, after the collapse of the Iron Curtain in 1989/90. In scholarly literature the abbreviations CEE or CEEC are often used for this concept...
(save the attempt of Siegfried Marcus
Siegfried Marcus
Siegfried Samuel Marcus was a German-born Austrian inventor and automobile pioneer.Marcus was born in Malchin in Mecklenburg-Schwerin. He moved to Vienna, the capital of the Austrian Empire, in 1852....
of Vienna to build a self-propelled car in 1875). It was constructed by Leopold Sviták and Hans Ledwinka
Hans Ledwinka
Hans Ledwinka was an Austrian automobile designer.- Youth :Ledwinka was born was born in Klosterneuburg , near Vienna, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire....
. The automobile was more of a carriage without horses than a car in modern sense. The car is steered via handlebars (while most of the cars of the era had a clique). The wooden bodywork is placed on an iron frame. It has four seats and a convertible top that would cover only the rear seats. Both axles have suspension of semi-elliptical leaf springs. The wheels were similar to the ones of a horse carriage, but had a rubber tyres. The car had a two cylinder spark ignition Benz engine placed by the rear axle.
History
Ignác Šustala, a skilled joinerJoiner
A joiner differs from a carpenter in that joiners cut and fit joints in wood that do not use nails. Joiners usually work in a workshop since the formation of various joints generally requires non-portable machinery. A carpenter normally works on site...
, started to manufacture horse carriages at his own farm. In 1853 he borrowed some money and established a small manufacturing business. Initially the horse carriages were made there, but soon it started manufacturing also rail wagons. Shortly before his death Ignác Šustala established a joint stock company Nesselsdorfer Wagenfabrik.
The company's director Hugo Fischer bought from Carl Benz one Benz Phaeton automobile as well as a latest Benz engine; this was instigated by Baron Theodor Liebig of Liberec
Liberec
Liberec is a city in the Czech Republic. Located on the Lusatian Neisse and surrounded by the Jizera Mountains and Ještěd-Kozákov Ridge, it is the fifth-largest city in the Czech Republic....
, whose 2500 km (1,553.4 mi) drive of 1894 around Europe without any major difficulties brought fame to Benz Viktoria
Benz Viktoria
The Benz Viktoria was a car made by the Benz motor company from 1892 to 1898.It sold in large numbers across Germany when it was first sold in 1892....
and consequent Carl Benz's gratitude. The Phaeton was used as a model for construction of the factory's first car in 1897, however it isn't the Phaeton's copy, whole new conception was applied. Leopold Sviták, the factory's foreman, was head of the construction works. The automobile was named the Präsident; the construction was finished in May 1898.
Design
The car had a two cylinder four stroke spark ignition Benz engine. It had two speed transmission which was propelling the rear axle via flat strap.The bodywork was derived from a horse carriage of Mylord type
Mylord (coach)
Mylord is a type of horse drawn coach. Originally of French design, they became popular during 1830s in Central Europe, especially in Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia, as well as in Austria...
. At the time NW was renowned in the monarchy for its luxurious carriages, and the automobile itself was made in according fashion.
It was able to reach up to 30 kilometre per hour. It seated four, the two rear seats could be covered by a convertible top. The car was steered by handlebars. Tilting of the handlebars forward and backward served to change gears (forward - lower gear). The wheels were wooden with gum tyre.
Immediately the first automobile was finished, it drove from Kopřivnice
Koprivnice
Kopřivnice is a town in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has cca 23,500 inhabitants.- History :In 1850, both of the former villages, Drnholec nad Lubinou and Větřkovice, became a part of the political district of Nový Jičín within the judicial district Příbor...
to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
to take part in an Auto show
Auto show
An auto show, or motor show, is a public exhibition of current automobile models, debuts, concept cars, or out-of-production classics. It is commonly attended by automobile manufacturers. Most auto shows occur once or twice a year...
. The drivers were Hugo Fischer and Baron Theodor Liebig. It took 14.5 hours to travel the distance of 328 kilometres (203.8 mi) - the average travel speed was 22.6 kilometre per hour and there were no significant defects during the first drive.
The unique features of the car were a differential and functional bumper.
Original
The very first car is now in Czech National Technical Museum and is still driveable. Unfortunately, before it was handed to the Museum in 1918, it was used in Austria to train drivers and it underwent some modifications, which infringed the original design (including engine swap). The engine which is now in the Präsident is probably the first one made in Kopřivnice, after the manufacture of engines started in 1900.Replica
A group of enthusiasts from the Tatra factory made an exact replica of the 1897 original state Präsident in 1977, which is now to be seen in the Tatra factory museum in Kopřivnice.There were a few reasons why the replica was built. First of all, the company wanted to have the Präsident for the jubilee celebrations, and secondly the original underwent modifications of engine, accessory, lights, the convertible top as well as of the colour livery, and thus it couldn't represent the factory's very first car. The work on replica started in march 1974 and were scheduled to be finished on 1 May 1977.
60 original papers of design documentation survived, however another 1150 had to be made, for which purposes the original Präsident was used. The manufacture took place in Tatra factory and was conducted by its engineers as well as retired workers of technical department.
The engine was manufactured also by Tatra. Four of them were made - one for the "new" Präsident, one for the National Technical Museum, where it is on exposition near the original Präsident (which has a larger engine than it was made with), and the two other were made to be joined as a four-cylinder used in a replica of the First Truck
NW First Truck
Nesselsdorfer Wagenbau-Fabriks-Gesellschaft First Truck is a veteran truck manufactured by Nesselsdorfer Wagenbau-Fabriks-Gesellschaft A.G. in 1898. The unique feature of the engines setup was that the two engines could be operated sequentially depending on the load requirements...
. The replica is driveable and is on display in Tatra factory museum.
Legacy
The initial cars from Kopřivnice, which were made individually, followed production of Präsident and were derived from it. They were named Meteor, Nesselsdorf, Wien. Bergsteiger, Versucher, Adhof, Spitzbub, Balder and Metrans. They differed in design details; belt drive was replaced by a four speed gear-box with spur gears. A cable drive was used before the gearbox, but it was not successful.In 1899, the NW-cars Wien and Nesselsdorf, achieved their first significant racing success on the trotter course at the Prater Park
Prater
The Wiener Prater is a large public park in Vienna's 2nd district . The amusement park, often simply called "Prater", stands in one corner of the Wiener Prater and includes the .-Name:...
in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. It was the first race in Austrian monarchy at all - started on October 23, 1899. The driver of the winning NW-car Wien was baron Theodor von Liebig. The other NW-car Nesselsdorf was the second one before all concurente of four Benz-cars and four Dietrich-Bolleé cars. Liebig won also other races later, which led to manufacture of first true race car made by NW - the Rennzweier
NW Rennzweier
Rennzweier is a veteran automobile manufactured by Nesselsdorfer Wagenbau-Fabriks-Gesellschaft A.G. in 1900. It is sometimes called also as First racing, 12 HP or Rennwagen . It was manufactured on order by baron Theodor von Liebig...
.
For later models the alphabets were used (A, B, S, T
Tatra 20
Nesselsdorfer Wagenbau-Fabriksgesellschaft type T was a luxurious vintage car. As the company changed its name the model was renamed to Tatra 20 in 1919. It was successor to very successful model NW type S...
, U ...), and since about 1921 as the company changed name to Tatra, it uses numbers to name the models (11
Tatra 11
The Tatra T11 was the first Tatra model to use the unique combination of major components that are still in use on the trucks produced by Tatra to this day.-Origins:...
, 12
Tatra 12
Tatra 12 is a model of vintage automobile made by Czech manufacturer Tatra.It was manufactured between 1923 and 1926. It was replaced by the Tatra 57 in 1932....
, 20
Tatra 20
Nesselsdorfer Wagenbau-Fabriksgesellschaft type T was a luxurious vintage car. As the company changed its name the model was renamed to Tatra 20 in 1919. It was successor to very successful model NW type S...
...). One year after the manufacture of Präsident, the First Truck
NW First Truck
Nesselsdorfer Wagenbau-Fabriks-Gesellschaft First Truck is a veteran truck manufactured by Nesselsdorfer Wagenbau-Fabriks-Gesellschaft A.G. in 1898. The unique feature of the engines setup was that the two engines could be operated sequentially depending on the load requirements...
was built. The manufacture of cars continued in Kopřivnice till 1998 with the last car Tatra T700
Tatra T700
The Tatra 700 was a large luxury car released in 1996 by the Czech car maker Tatra, essentially a heavily restyled version of the Tatra 613 model it replaced.The T700 was offered as a saloon with either a 3.5 or 4.4 litre 90° air-cooled V8 petrol engine...
. The manufacture of heavy duty trucks continues up today.
Even today's models (i.e. Tatra 815) follow the unique design features (such as backbone tube with swinging half-axles
Backbone chassis
Backbone tube chassis is a type of an automobile construction chassis that is similar to the body-on-frame design. Instead of a two-dimensional ladder type structure, it consists of a strong tubular backbone that connects the front and rear suspension attachment areas...
) which were introduced by Hans Ledwinka
Hans Ledwinka
Hans Ledwinka was an Austrian automobile designer.- Youth :Ledwinka was born was born in Klosterneuburg , near Vienna, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire....
in 1920s, who himself took part in construction of the Präsident. Throughout the time Tatra introduced to automotive world revolutionary concepts such as modern car aerodynamics through model Tatra T77
Tatra T77
The Czechoslovakian Tatra 77 is the first serial-produced truly aerodynamically designed automobile. It was developed by Hans Ledwinka and Paul Jaray, the noted Zeppelin aerodynamic engineer. Launched in 1934, the Tatra 77 is a coach-built automobile constructed on a central tube-steel chassis and...
or design of a "peoples car" through Tatra V570
Tatra V570
Tatra V570 was a prototype early 1930s car developed by a team led by Hans Ledwinka and Paul Jaray. The aim of the construction team was to develop cheap people's car with an aerodynamic body...
and Tatra T97
Tatra T97
The Type 97 is a mid-class saloon car from Czechoslovak car-maker Tatra. It was produced for a short time in the pre-war period, from 1936 to 1939.- History :...
. However 40 years of planned economy in Czechoslovakia made the company to specialize in heavy off-road trucks while the manufacture of cars was only subsidiary. The turmoil years after the Velvet revolution
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from November 17 – December 29, 1989...
brought Tatra to the edge of bankruptcy and consequently the manufacture of cars was abandoned, while only the production of heavy-duty trucks continues.