Rare Rides: The 1997 Tatra 700, One Last Hurrah

Rare Rides featured exactly one Tatra automobile previously, and it was the grandfather of today’s subject. While today’s blue beauty doesn’t have the state authority and terrorist provenance of the black Tatra displayed on these pages before, it’s important for a different reason: It was the last attempt Tatra made to sell a passenger car.

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Rare Rides: The 1971 Tatra 2-603 II, East Germany's Stasi Transport

Today’s Rare Ride has a checkered history, as it served as quiet shuttle for secret police and terrorist spies alike. Let’s find out more about this rear-engine Czechoslovakian V8 luxury car.

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Rare Rides: This Skoda 120 From 1985 is Red, Like the Communism That Built It
Late last week, on our Rare Rides entry for the Renault Alliance GTA, commenter scott25 alerted me to a Skoda he spotted on Kijiji (which is what eBay is called in Canada or something). As most people in North America have likely never seen a Skoda, this odd little sedan should do nicely as today’s Rare Ride.Come along, comrades.
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Trackday Diaries: Have to See a Man About a Dog.

“Say, Rodney,” I inquired via phone, “I wonder if you might be interested in helping me look at a Town Car in Pataskala for a guy in Czechoslovakia.”

I wonder,” Rodney responded, “if you might be interested in bringing a pair of motherf**king McChicken sandwiches over to where I’m staying at so that it might lubricate my willingness to perform this inspection. And remember, I said two McChickens, you cheap cracker.”

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What Kind of Person Would Sell a Communist Car?

At the height of the Second Red Scare, a Southern California man named Willy Witkins imported and sold East German Wartburgs and Škodas. The hate mail came rolling in.

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  • ToolGuy No hybrid? No EV? What year is this? lolI kid -- of course there is an electric version.
  • Tassos No, this is for sure NOT my favorite Caddy. Very few Caddys with big fins work out as designs.FOr interiors, I much prefer the Caddys and other US luxury cars from the 30s, Packards etc. After the war, they ditched the generous wood veneer (without which no proper luxury car) for either nothing or the worse than nothing fake wood.For exterior, I like many Caddys from the 60s and early 70s, when the fins slowly diminished and finally disappearedEven the current " Art and Science" angular styling is quite good and has lasted a quarter century (from the first CTS). They even look better than most Bangled BMWs and even some Mercs.- from outside only.
  • ToolGuy Good for them.
  • ToolGuy "I'm an excellent driver."
  • Tassos If a friend who does not care about cars asks me what to buy, I tell her (it usually is a she) to get a Toyota or a Lexus. If she likes more sporty cars, a Honda or a MiataIf a friend is a car nut, they usually know what they want and need no help. But if they still ask me, I tell them to get a Merc or AMG, a 911, even an M3 if they can fix it themselves. If they are billionaires, and I Do have a couple of these, a Ferrari or an even more impractical Lambo.