1950 Tatra T87 sedan. Photos courtesy Bonhams.
Though produced for 15 years, Czechoslovakian automaker Tatra built less than 3,100 examples of its futuristic T87 sedan before the model’s run ended in 1950. That makes it something of a rarity among collectors, especially in North America, and bidding for well-preserved examples tends to be spirited. Last Saturday, a 1950 Tatra T87 last restored in the 1990s crossed the auction block in Greenwich, Connecticut, selling for a fee-inclusive price of $137,500, enough to make the sale’s top-10 list.
Based upon Tatra’s earlier backbone-chassis T77 sedan, the T87 boasted a wheelbase 12-inches shorter than its predecessor, adding a magnesium alloy V-8 to further reduce weight by nearly 900 pounds. Like the T77, the T87 mounted its air-cooled engine behind the rear wheels, with the transmission in front, which added to cabin room but made for interesting handling at the limit. Compounding the car’s unforgiving reputation, the T87 used a swing axle rear suspension, and legend has it that many Nazi officers learned about lift-throttle oversteer the hard way, often with fatal consequences.
Power for the T87 came from a 2.9-liter overhead camshaft V-8, which produced a respectable 85 horsepower. Thanks to the car’s drag coefficient of 0.244, that was sufficient output to give the Tatra a top speed of nearly 100 MPH, while delivering fuel economy that approached 19 MPG, a remarkable achieve in the late 1930s. These features, along with the T87’s clean lines, produced a string of notable owners that included Felix Wankel (inventor of the rotary engine); Erwin Rommel (“The Desert Fox”); John Steinbeck; King Farouk I of Egypt; and Jay Leno.
The Tatra T87 sold in Connecticut was said to have been owned by a Czechoslovakian factory manager before its purchase by a British collector in the late 1990s. Restored in Czechoslovakia prior to its export to the U.K., the car was discovered by the consignor in London circa 2000. Since being imported to the United States, the Tatra has seen light road use but regular maintenance, including a 2010 refurbishment of the fuel tank and gas gauge. While the car’s $137,500 price falls short of the $280,500 record set by a concours-quality 1948 Tatra T87 at Pebble Beach in 2013, it’s likely the new owner paid a fair price for a car with a two-decade old restoration.
1975 Alfa Romeo 1300 Junior Stradale.
Other lots in the top-10 at the Greenwich Concours d’Elegance sale included a 2005 Ford GT with one owner and just 113 miles, which sold for $291,500; a 1959 Mercedes-Benz 190SL, complete with matching teardrop trailer, which sold for $192,500; a 1986 Ferrari Testarossa, which sold for $173,800; a 1962 Maserati 3500 GTI Superleggera coupe, which sold for $167,750; a 1973 Maserati Bora 4.9, which sold for $160,600; a 1966 Shelby G.T. 350, which sold for $159,500; a 1975 Alfa Romeo GTA 1300 Junior Stradale, which sold for $154,000; a 1968 Porsche 911S Targa, which sold for $148,000; and a 1935 Riley Imp, which sold for $140,800.
For complete results from the Greenwich sale, visit Bonhams.com.
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