Tovarna avtomobilov Maribor
Encyclopedia
Tovarna avtomobilov Maribor (TAM, "Maribor Automobile Factory") was a Yugoslav
and Slovenia
n commercial vehicle manufacturer based in the city of Maribor
.
, the Yugoslav government decided to convert the works to vehicle production and renamed it the Tovarna avtomobilov Maribor Tezno, "Maribor Tezno Automobile Factory" on December 31 1946. TAM's first model, the "TAM Pionir," was built under license from the Czechoslovak company "Praga," and was manufactured until 1962, with a total of 1700 produced in that period. TAM quickly became Yugoslavia
's leading truck manufacturer. In 1958, it began manufacturing vehicles under license from the German
company Magirus-Deutz
. In 1961, the company was renamed to Tovarna Avtomobilov in Motorjev Maribor ("Maribor Automobile and Motorcycle Factory"), however the TAM acronym and logo were retained. At its height, it employed more than 8000 workers; however, the ecoomic decline of the 1980s saw financial difficulties, and in 1996 the company was dissolved. Another company, Tovarna Vozil Maribor (TVM, "Maribor Vehicle Factory"), was founded in 2001 and was widely seen as its successor.
TAM buses were assigned a string of four variables, number-letter-number-letter, for example: 260 A 116 M.
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
and Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n commercial vehicle manufacturer based in the city of Maribor
Maribor
Maribor is the second largest city in Slovenia with 157,947 inhabitants . Maribor is also the largest and the capital city of Slovenian region Lower Styria and the seat of the Municipality of Maribor....
.
History
TAM began as an aircraft-parts factory founded by the occupying Germans in 1941. Immediately following World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Yugoslav government decided to convert the works to vehicle production and renamed it the Tovarna avtomobilov Maribor Tezno, "Maribor Tezno Automobile Factory" on December 31 1946. TAM's first model, the "TAM Pionir," was built under license from the Czechoslovak company "Praga," and was manufactured until 1962, with a total of 1700 produced in that period. TAM quickly became Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
's leading truck manufacturer. In 1958, it began manufacturing vehicles under license from the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
company Magirus-Deutz
Magirus
Iveco Magirus AG is a truck manufacturer based in Ulm, Germany, founded by Conrad Dietrich Magirus . The company began manufacturing fire-fighting vehicles in 1864. In the late 1910s, it started the production of trucks and buses...
. In 1961, the company was renamed to Tovarna Avtomobilov in Motorjev Maribor ("Maribor Automobile and Motorcycle Factory"), however the TAM acronym and logo were retained. At its height, it employed more than 8000 workers; however, the ecoomic decline of the 1980s saw financial difficulties, and in 1996 the company was dissolved. Another company, Tovarna Vozil Maribor (TVM, "Maribor Vehicle Factory"), was founded in 2001 and was widely seen as its successor.
Logo
The TAM logo resembled a three-leafed clover standing on point, with each lobe containing one letter of the acronym and a small five-pointed star occupying the center.Number of vehicles produced by year
| Year | Nr.of prod.vehicles |
|---|---|
| 1947 | |
| 1948 | |
| 1949 | |
| 1950 | |
| 1951 | |
| 1952 | |
| 1953 | |
| 1954 | |
| 1955 | |
| 1956 | |
| 1957 | |
| 1958 | |
| 1959 | |
| 1960 | |
| 1961 | |
| 1962 | |
| 1963 | |
| 1964 | |
| 1965 | |
| 1966 | |
| 1967 | |
| 1968 | |
| 1969 | |
| 1970 | |
TAM vehicle naming convention
TAM trucks were assigned a string of three variables, number-letter-number; for example, model 190 T 11.- The first number represents engine power (in hpHorsepowerHorsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
). - The letter T stands for the Slovenian word "tovornjak" (truck).
- The second number (11) represents the maximum payload (in tons).
TAM buses were assigned a string of four variables, number-letter-number-letter, for example: 260 A 116 M.
- The first number represents engine power.
- The letter A stands for the word "avtobus" (bus).
- The second number represents the maximum number of passengers.
- The second letter could be either M, P, or T, for "mestni" (city bus), "primestni" (suburban bus), or "turistični" (tourist bus).