The DAF Museum continues to work hard and is on its way to gaining international recognition as a leading automobile museum. Our frogs are obviously good at creating car museums. The special topics discussed are typical. Another “special” opening has already been widely shared on social media. Czech brand Tatra has been around since mid-September. Although it is already mid-November, the festive month of December is soon approaching. It is worth planning a visit to the huge building of the Duff Museum with the whole family, relatives or friends. Only if you love cars, that is.
years of cooperation
DAF has cooperated with Tatra for years and supplies the Tatra with engines and cabs, among other things, and the two automakers work together on drive technology. The show is unique, never before has so many historically valuable Tatras been shown in the Netherlands. We know very well the private Czech brand. Older ones will undoubtedly remember the multi-axle truck from the late ’60s and early ’70s, which was the only truck that could make its way through loose sand. Due to their driving technology, they already possessed unique off-road qualities.
Private passenger cars
In addition, the Tatras also produced very special passenger cars until the 90s. The more luxurious versions are particularly reminiscent of comfortable limousines from the United States from the 1950s. They were famous for their air-cooled V8 torpedo rear engines. Whether they are beautiful, you can discuss, separately anyway, and that’s what made this inappropriate world famous. Some of these models can be seen in Eindhoven and come from the Technicke Muzeum Tatra in Kopřivnice, where Tatra factories are traditionally located.
One factory in eight countries
This brings us to a fascinating fact from the history of the Tatra company. For more than 125 years, the Tatra has never moved, yet the plant has been located in eight different countries. She, like the population, was a puppet of the power politics of heads of state for more than a hundred years. The Tatras emerged during the Austro-Hungarian dynasty, resisting Nazi occupation and nationalization by the Communists. However, the technically innovative car manufacturer confronted the man with the hammer in the 1990s. Tatra had no money to develop a new generation of passenger cars that would meet driver expectations and the most stringent environmental standards. Shame, but that’s what it is. Tatra continued to build trucks. It even partnered with Duff.
rich history
In short, rich history! The 125th anniversary of the Czech brand, many years of cooperation with DAF, rich history and special technology are enough reason for the DAF Museum to dedicate an exhibition to the Tatras. The doors on Tongelresestraat 27 in Eindhoven will remain open until the end of March 2023. During the visit, you can enjoy double that. Of course, passenger cars, trucks, scale models, prototypes, racing and assembly cars are also on display at the Duff Museum. So two birds with one stone, to Eindhoven!
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