In 1921, Hans Ledwinka was hired by Tatra to design a brand new automobile: the T11. Introduced at Prague’s Autosalon in 1923, the T11 was quickly the talking point of the show. Equipped with a 1056 c.c. horizontally opposed, air-cooled, two cylinder engine on a tubular backbone chassis connecting the front of the car, the drivetrain, and rear wheels on swinging axles. The T11 was very popular with this innovative technology. At the end of production there were 10,000 T11s and T12s manufactured in a period of eight years. In 1934, the engine changed to an air-cooled four cylinder, with a capacity of 1688 c.c.
4,000 T75 would be made, with the last ones being delivered in 1939. The T75 is the last automobile built on this design. The production in the years to come would switch to rear air cooled engines, but keeping the same basic idea for the body and the suspension. The backbone and swing axles, a Tatra trademark, are still used for its large trucks made today.
