Tatra 603: Freaky deaky rear mounted air cooled hemi V8

bmw2800cs

bmw2800cs

Well-Known Member
Site Donor $
Site Donor $$
Messages
1,328
Reaction score
582
Location
San Jose, California
Hadn't seen one of these before, check out the dash, I think the reel to reel self destructs after it plays back:
barnfinds.com

Air-Cooled Hemi V8! Tatra 603 Sedan

The Tatra 603 was a larger rear-engined luxury car that was produced by Tatra (a Czechoslovak company) from 1956 to 1975. Due to the political climate of the day, only high-ranking politicians and heads of companies usually had access to these vehicles. The first generation was built between...
barnfinds.com barnfinds.com

Here is a little background:
 
Wow, that dash is straight from the control console of some nefarious international criminal organization!

This reminds me, my aunt once dated a guy who had a Jaguar E-type with a record player in it. Don't know if it could play LPs or only 45s.
 
coupedegrace said:
Wow, that dash is straight from the control console of some nefarious international criminal organization!

This reminds me, my aunt once dated a guy who had a Jaguar E-type with a record player in it. Don't know if it could play LPs or only 45s.
Click to expand...
Wow Jaguar E-type with record player - would have been cool. The reel to reel reminds me of the old Mission Impossible tv series - it always would self destruct after instructing the spy :)
 
bmw2800cs.com said:
Wow Jaguar E-type with record player - would have been cool. The reel to reel reminds me of the old Mission Impossible tv series - it always would self destruct after instructing the spy :)
Click to expand...
The Chrysler 300s had a turntable option. It was in the glove box on a sliding drawer if I remember correctly. If memory serves, it was sub LP size but I could be off. Imagine the tonearm balance required to keep the needle from bouncing. Records didn't last too long with that!
 

Attachments

  • dodge-old-highway-hi-fi-system-1.jpg
    dodge-old-highway-hi-fi-system-1.jpg
    376.7 KB · Views: 98
tferrer said:
The Chrysler 300s had a turntable option. It was in the glove box on a sliding drawer if I remember correctly. If memory serves, it was a full LP size but I could be off. Imagine the tonearm balance required to keep the needle from bouncing. Records didn't last too long with that!
Click to expand...
Yeah, tone arm must have weighed a ton :)
 
tferrer said:
The Chrysler 300s had a turntable option. It was in the glove box on a sliding drawer if I remember correctly. If memory serves, it was sub LP size but I could be off. Imagine the tonearm balance required to keep the needle from bouncing. Records didn't last too long with that!
Click to expand...
Maybe they just played 78s. They tend to be very thick with pretty massive grooves. That would be pretty hilarious actually. "Step into my Jaguar and allow me to put on some ragtime music."
 
I love these Tatra 603’s. That dash looks like it was a Politt Bureau staff car.
Lane Motor museum in Nashville has two. One is for sale @ $35k.
That’s a lot less than what it would cost to restore a barn find. Scroll down their for sale page:
www.lanemotormuseum.org

Cars For Sale - Lane Motor Museum

Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, Tennessee features the largest European collection of cars and motorcycles in the United States.
www.lanemotormuseum.org www.lanemotormuseum.org

This is their other one:

4B845068-9641-4DEB-83CC-48F64DCAFCDE.jpeg
 
Last edited:
tferrer said:
The Chrysler 300s had a turntable option. It was in the glove box on a sliding drawer if I remember correctly. If memory serves, it was sub LP size but I could be off. Imagine the tonearm balance required to keep the needle from bouncing. Records didn't last too long with that!
Click to expand...
Mopar’s Highway High-Fi (sic) first became available on 1956 mopar cars. I owned a 56 Dodge wagon moons ago and did some research. The records were specially made and only available from Mopar Dealers. Selection was limited. How many times can you listen to “How Much is that Doggy in the Window”?
 
JMinNJ said:
I love these Tatra 603’s. Lane Motor museum in Nashville has two. One is for sale @ $35k.
That’s a lot less than what it would cost to restore a barn find. Scroll down their for sale page:
www.lanemotormuseum.org

Cars For Sale - Lane Motor Museum

Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, Tennessee features the largest European collection of cars and motorcycles in the United States.
www.lanemotormuseum.org www.lanemotormuseum.org

This is their other one:

View attachment 142592
Click to expand...
Sweet car - buy the one for 35k and buy the other two for parts!
 
JMinNJ said:
Mopar’s Highway High-Fi (sic) first became available on 1956 mopar cars. I owned a 56 Dodge wagon moons ago and did some research. The records were specially made and only available from Mopar Dealers. Selection was limited. How many times can you listen to “How Much is that Doggy in the Window”?
Click to expand...
I think the B-side of that one was "High Hopes."
 
tferrer said:
The Chrysler 300s had a turntable option. It was in the glove box on a sliding drawer if I remember correctly. If memory serves, it was sub LP size but I could be off. Imagine the tonearm balance required to keep the needle from bouncing. Records didn't last too long with that!
Click to expand...
I don't think those were meant for in-motion, more for parking with your date at the lookout and some martinis
 
They were “designed” to play while you were driving. Played one hour per side at 16 1/3 RPMs

www.autoevolution.com

Highway Hi-Fi, the Revolutionary Vinyl-In-Your-Car Tech That Failed

Thanks to all the cool technology we currently have access to, nearly all modern vehicles are boomboxes on wheels. Be it infotainment systems, Bluetooth connectivity, or CD players, you now have access to music in a variety of formats in all cars, including the really cheap, entry-level ones...
www.autoevolution.com www.autoevolution.com
 
Apparently that Tatra 603 with the strange dash was a movie car.

www.theautopian.com

There's A Rare Tatra Being Auctioned That Appears To Be The Car From That Lemony Snicket Movie - The Autopian

For many Americans of a certain age, their first exposure to the incredible world of Czech rear-engined air-cooled V8-powered cars known as Tatras came via a black comedy movie based on a beloved series of children’s books. The movie was 2004’s Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events...
www.theautopian.com www.theautopian.com
 
Last edited:
A buddy had a record player in the glove box of his '59 Plymouth Fury. It played 45 RPM records. Upside down to put more pressure on the arm keeping the needle against the record surface. Can anyone explain the science/physics behind that one?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top