The team grew very attached to the 1968 Tatra 603 “Old Girl” during the epic journey from the Czech Republic to Pebble Beach, California. She did the entire 4,000 mile trip all on her own, which is a testament to the car’s quality and condition. Personally, I will never forget driving the Tatra through Salt Lake City, over Donner Pass, through Sacramento, and around San Jose.
However, time has come to let her go. The car has been posted for sale on bringatrailer.com.
This 603 was fully restored around 10 years ago. The car comes with many restoration pictures, that show it fully stripped down to bare metal and with no interior. The whole car was finished with period correct colors and materials. It repainted the same black color as it was originally.
The 2.5L hemi-head air-cooled V8 in the back was rated at just over 100 horsepower from the factory. It’s still plenty strong to climb the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada. The car was went over by a mechanic in Boulder, CO and checked out well. The underbody corrosion protection is excellent. The disk brakes work properly. The 4-speed transmission linkages were adjusted to improve the action. It still takes practice and patience to shift the gears, but it adds to the character of the car and the overall experience.
This was the first year for front seat belts, which is an important detail. Also, the car come with the original spare tire! Why is this important? Tatra had unique tires made specifically for the 603 that were not used on any other vehicle. Many collectors like this detail of originality.
Head over to the auction in progress for more details and the current price.