Rare T-600 Tatraplan

Car Collector Corner

By Greg Zyla

Rare T-600 Tatraplan

Q: Greg, I’m working on a T-600 Tatraplan automobile, and I know many people have ever never seen or heard of one of these. Mine is a 1947 model, and it would be interesting to see what info you can provide. I have both 4-cylinder and a V8 air cooled engines and transaxles. I enjoy your column very much. Raymond Hogg, Big Spring, Texas.

A: Raymond, I haven’t heard the word Tatraplan since my good friend Jack Kulp mentioned this Czechoslovakian-built car to me about 25 years ago. Kulp, a famous drag racer, used to run blown 445-inch Olds and Hemi Chrysler engines in foreign cars, most notably a Simca blown AA/Gas Supercharged machine. (He also ran Willys coupes, too).Anyway, Kulp had told me about the Tatraplan which was built by the Tatra car company, and that he nearly bought one and made it into a racecar. Your car is a mid to late year 1947 model that received the nomenclature T-600 Tatraplan. The Tatraplan name comes from what was a government sponsored, “centralized economic” plan in Czechoslovakia, where the car was produced. T-600 Tatraplans were streamliner type cars that came with a 1952cc inline 4-cylinder air-cooled engines that were placed in the rear between the axle. The body had a coefficient aerodynamic drag of 0.32, which was great for that era. Overall, some 4,200 T-600’s were sold from 1947 through 1951, but in late 1951, the Czech Department of Defense, which controlled the production of the cars, informed Tatra they would now build trucks, and that all cars would be built under the Skoda brand. Skoda was one of the other car companies in the country at the time, and also run by the government. The third car company in the Czech Republic was Praga. In 1954, however, Tatra re-joined the car building with a large passenger car, and this is where that air cooled V8 engine and transaxle you have in your garage come into play. The V8 T603-engine had previously been developed and tested on the race track in Tatra experimental and race type cars. It was used for the Tatra-603, and went on sale in 1955 and remained in production until 1975. In its’ 18 years of sales, a total of 20,422 T-603’s were built.You have some very interesting items in your garage, so keep us informed and send a photo as you move forward. Hope this all helps and thanks for the nice comments.(Greg Zyla is a syndicated auto columnist who welcomes reader inquiries at 116 main St., Towanda, Pa. 18848 or email him at extramile_2000@yahoo.com).

For more articles like these, pick up a copy of Auto Round-Up Magazine at your local newsstand, or visit www.Auto-Roundup.com today!

Remembering a 1956 Mercury Monterey custom

Collector Car Corner

By Greg Zyla

Cutline:: Here’s a photo of a '56 Mercury hardtop custom from the Hot Wheels “Ultra Hots” released in 2007 in 1/64th scale. A second company, SunStar, is set to release a 1956 Mercury in 1/18th size later this year. (Hot Wheels photo)

Remembering a 1956 Mercury Monterey custom

Q: Greg, I really enjoy your columns in Auto Roundup Magazine, and you’ve written about some of my cars before (Vol. 7, No. 728). However, of all the cars I’ve ever owned, my “true love car” was and always will be my 1956 Mercury. When I met my wife in 1959, I was going to a place in Brooklyn, NY, called “Mitchell’s Drive-In.”In January of 1960, I bought a black and yellow two-door ’56 Mercury Monterey and shortly after purchasing it, found out that all Ford and Mercury parts were interchangeable. Well, I went crazy doing things to my car, as I bought a ’54 Ford transmission, clutch and bell housing from Monte’s Salvage Yard. Then, I bought a ’54 Mercury stick from a 6-cylinder and had to get a stick shift flywheel and driveshaft from the ’54 Merc. Next, I hooked up a complete 4:11 rear end from a ‘55 Ford Station Wagon. Next, I lowered the rear and added Cruiser Skirts, and up front added split 1955 Pontiac bumpers below with a ’57 DeSoto grille. I de-chromed the rest of the car and installed a picture hanging wire that went from the trunk key mechanism under the back seat to under my driver seat so I could pull it and open the trunk. I had to do this as I removed the chrome trunk key function from the trunk and filled it in.I then used some molding from a ’55 Mercury, and reversed it to go from the middle of the front door to the rear taillights…which were now from a ’59 Cadillac! Inside, I went with a black interior with little twinkle Christmas lights in the headliner so that when you opened the doors, stars would shine. I lastly painted the car 1960 Caddy Georgian Poly Blue.After Mitchell’s, you would go with your girl to Plum Beach to watch the “submarine” races. I am now 68 years old, and wonder how many of the girls and guys reading Auto Roundup remember Mitchell’s, Plum Beach, warm beer and lousy food and drag racing at Hellie Bly? Mitchell’s Drive-In was the idea behind the place in “Happy Days.” Keep up the great columns, and God Bless America, and our Armed Forces. Dominick Raffone Sr., Brooklyn, New York.

A: Dominick, thanks for your great letter, which lets some of our younger readers know what the pre-baby boomers used to do to their cars back in the day. I had many friends who did the same. If you have a photo of your Mercury, please send it along. Did it have lake pipes? Also, for the sake of my readers, Plum Beach “submarine races” was actually “special teenage lingo” that meant you were going to Plum Beach with your girl. Plum Beach was a well known teenage “lovers lane” by the water out on Long Island. Thus, if you told someone you were going to watch the “submarine races,” you were going to Plum Beach with your girl. (Greg Zyla welcomes reader questions and input at 303 Roosevelt St., Sayre, Pa. 18840 on anything about cars or email him at extramile_2000@yahoo.com).

For more articles like these, pick up a copy of Auto Round-Up Magazine at your local newsstand, or visit www.Auto-Roundup.com today!

Nice 1973 Triumph GT6 MK3

Car Collector Corner

By Greg Zyla

Nice 1973 Triumph GT6 MK3

Q: Greg, I enjoy your columns in Auto Roundup Magazine very much, and I would appreciate if you could help me find information on my 1973 Triumph GT6 MK3. The only thing I know is it used to be a racecar, and I have been working on it for several years to bring it back to its original showroom condition. I am at the point where it is almost ready for car shows. Can you give me some history on the car and its' approximate value when I'm finished? I have enclosed the VIN numbers for you, and it has a gold race emblem on the dashboard. Peter K., Senecaville, Ohio.

A: Peter, thanks for the nice words and I'd be happy to help. First, your 1973 Triumph GT6 MK3 is the last year this model was produced by British Leyland, corporate of Triumph motorcars. It was conceived from the Spitfire convertible model in 1966, and received a redesign when the Triumph GT6 arrived at dealers in 1970. Since 1970, it has been called the GT6 MK3. Your car came with an inline 6-cylinder 1998cc engine that puts out 95 horsepower with a curb weight of 1936 lbs.Although your car was a racecar, no doubt in Sports car Club Of America class competition, it was built for general and sports car purposes, although many did see race action. Along with Triumph's most popular model, the TR6, Spitfire and GT6 were built to compete head on with two other foreign models, namely Austin Healy Bugeye Sprites and 3000s, and the MG lineup of MGA, MGB and MG Midget.In 1973, your car's seats were changed from vinyl to cloth and offered some nice options. Your MK3 can run a top speed of 113 mph and go from 0-60 in 10-seconds. To the chagrin of Triumph enthusiasts, however, the last U.S. models were hampered by government intervention, where low compression engines thanks to the mandatory use of lower octane unleaded gasoline became the norm. Of course, all car manufacturers experienced the same fate, as the years 1973 through 1980 weren't known as "performance years" by any means.Today, your GT6 is a popular sports car, and, to your advantage, didn't sell in big numbers as only 13,072 GT6's were built from 1970 to 1973, with a total run on only 41,253 since 1966. By 1974, the GT6 was dropped by Triumph, although Triumph still sold many TR6 and TR7 models, and also its rare V8 powered TR8 through 1981. The V8 TR8, powered by a Buick/Rover design 3.5-V8, had a production run of only 2,750 cars, of which perhaps 750 still remain. Your GT6 MK3 will be worth in the $10,000 range when finished, perhaps more, maybe less depending on circumstances. Today, all Triumph cars have a strong following and many clubs exist. I recommend the Vintage Triumph Register, P.O. Box 655, Howell, MI 48844. Write to them, and I hope all this helps.(Greg Zyla welcomes Auto Roundup reader inquiries at 303 Roosevelt St., Sayre, Pa. 18840 or at extramile_2000@yahoo.com).

For more articles like these, pick up a copy of Auto Round-Up Magazine at your local newsstand, or visit www.Auto-Roundup.com today!