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45-589: A new bi-annual Motor Show, called Autos, Avus, Attraktionen (AAA), was established by the Messe Berlin company in 1978. The last show was held in 2000, with the 2002 show cancelled four months prior to the expected 2002 exhibition. On 30 September 1897, the first IAA was held by the Mitteleuropäischer Motorwagenverein ("Central European Motor Vehicle Association") at the Hotel Bristol on

90-508: A beetle-shaped body . However, at the time Tatra already had a cheap, strongly-selling car in its production range, which was moreover popular due to its continuation of the tradition of simplicity and ultra-reliability inaugurated by the Tatra 11 . Although Tatra management saw the advantages of Jaray's concept, they believed that the new model would make sense only as an additional model with limited production, which meant that it should be aimed at

135-498: A platform chassis with a pressed box-section steel backbone rather than Tatra's trademark tubular chassis , and is powered by a 60 horsepower (45 kW) rear-mounted 2.97-litre air-cooled V8 engine, in later series increased to a 75 horsepower (56 kW) 3.4-litre engine. It possessed advanced engineering features, such as overhead valves, hemispherical combustion chambers, a dry sump , fully independent suspension, rear swing axles and extensive use of lightweight magnesium alloy for

180-535: A Berlin building or structure is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Tatra 77 The Tatra 77 (T77) is one of the first serial-produced, truly aerodynamically-designed automobiles, produced by Czechoslovakian company Tatra from 1934 to 1938. It was developed by Hans Ledwinka and Paul Jaray , the Zeppelin aerodynamic engineer. Launched in 1934, the Tatra 77 is a coach-built automobile, constructed on

225-596: A Berlin trade fair location since 1924, when the wooden "House of the Radio Industry" (also called "Funkhalle", not to be confused with the Haus des Rundfunks built later) west of the Messedamm on the site of today's Hall 14 for the first Great German Radio exhibition was opened. The architect was Heinrich Straumer, who was also responsible for equipping the neighboring radio tower . The name Ausstellungshallen am Kaiserdamm , which

270-406: A T77a. A number of designers around the world were trying to construct an aerodynamic car at the time, but Tatra was the first one to successfully introduce it into serial production. There were numerous reasons why Tatra designers took such a revolutionary approach to the conception of the new car: First of all it was their aim to reduce drag , mostly air-drag, which increases with the square of

315-721: A bridge to the Internationales Congress Centrum Berlin , which closed in 2014 until further notice. To the south is the CityCube Berlin , an exhibition and conference hall that opened in 2014, built on the lands of the former Deutschlandhalle arena, which has replaced the functions of the ICC. Important trade fairs held here include Internationale Grüne Woche Berlin (Green Week), Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin (IFA), Internationale Tourismus-Börse (ITB), Youth fair YOU, Venus Berlin and InnoTrans . Before

360-401: A single camshaft to open the valves of a V8 without pushrods, rather than two low shafts on a straight engine, must be unique. A consequence is that the mechanical layout is much less obvious to the observer, with the big box-shaped engine giving few immediate clues to its V configuration, unlike its T87 OHC successor. Belt-driven squirrel fans in cast alloy ducting draw air forward, up and around

405-598: The Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf precinct of Berlin , Germany , at Masurenallee opposite the Haus des Rundfunks . Since 2011, they have officially been known as "Berlin ExpoCenter City" and operated by the Messe Berlin GmbH company. The premises, built in 1936–37, comprise twenty-six halls covering 160,000 square metres (1,700,000 sq ft) including Funkturm Berlin . The halls are connected via

450-648: The Unter den Linden boulevard in Berlin. A total of eight Benz Velo , Lutzmann, Kühlstein , and Daimler motor vehicles were on display. A second motor show was held in 1898 at the exhibition grounds near Lehrter Bahnhof ; in 1899 more than 100 exhibitors participated in the third motor show . As the automobile became more known and accepted, the IAA became a fixed event in Germany, with at least one held every year, usually in Berlin. In 1902

495-588: The "walking-beam" valvetrain principle, their dry-sump air/oil-cooled V8 engines having overhead valves in hemispherical heads, but no pushrods. Instead the valves are opened by enormous drilled rockers operated by a single high camshaft between the two cylinder banks' heads, and pivoted inboard of their centres to extend the lift applied by the cams. The principle had been used much earlier in the Duesenberg 16-valve straight-4 low-twin-cam racing engine, later adopted by Rochester for use in passenger cars, but Tatra's use of

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540-570: The T77 was presented at the Paris motor show. There were even demonstration rides after doubt was cast on the ability of the car to reach 140 kilometres per hour (87 mph) with a mere 45 kilowatts (60 hp) of engine power: normally at that time twice the power was required for a car to reach such a speed. Director Maurice Elvey was so amazed by the looks of the car that he used the T77 in his science-fiction movie The Transatlantic Tunnel . The Tatra 77

585-400: The Tatra 77. Paul Jaray first worked at Luftschiffbau Zeppelin (LZ) where he gained experience in the aerodynamic design of airships. He used his access to LZ's wind tunnels and subsequently established streamlining principles for car design. In 1927 he founded a company specializing in developing streamlined car bodies and selling issuing licences to major vehicle manufacturers. Tatra was

630-454: The car had a basically rectangular cross section and was rounded all the way to the floor. The front bumper covered the rounded fenders, while the lower halves of the lights were embedded in the bonnet. The rear of the car had a continuously sloping form and was divided by a vertical fin which started at the rear end of the roof and ended almost at the rear end of the car. The rear wheels had aerodynamic covers. The door handles were embedded into

675-399: The car is moving along the dividing line between the ground and the air. ... The car maintained 145km/h, it has astonishing handling, it drives through curves with speeds that are both mad and safe, and it seems just to float on any kind of road. ... It is a car which opens new perspectives to car construction and automotive practice. That is the car for my highways! The Tatra 77 was

720-512: The car itself, so the actual drag coefficient may have been slightly higher. The Tatra Company began manufacturing cars in 1897 in Kopřivnice , Moravia , in today's Czech Republic , making it the third-oldest still-existing automobile manufacturer in the world. Under the direction of Hans Ledwinka , the company employed many of the genius minds of automotive history, including Erich Übelacker and consultant Paul Jaray , who together designed

765-523: The central unit was not, as has been suggested, linked to the steering on some models. The central headlight never moved with the front wheels, but had an electro-magnetic system enabling the reflector to move to illuminate the kerbs, as street illumination was poor at the time. Some T77s and T77a models were also equipped with canvas Webasto roofs. The smooth body of the T77a gave a coefficient of aerodynamic drag of 0.212. Some sources, though, claim that this figure

810-618: The construction for the Messegelände , there was a parade ground on which the Charlottenburg garrison practiced daily. From the end of the 19th century, the route of the Hamburg Stadtbahn connection ran in the area of today's site until it was relocated to the south when the exhibition center was expanded in the 1920s. The first exhibition hall, completed in 1914 for automobile exhibitions, was located north of today's exhibition center in

855-424: The door panels, from which only the door hinges protruded slightly. The car had no rear window, limiting rear visibility to what could be discerned through slits in the sheet metal. The first prototype of 1933 had a split windscreen, while other prototypes had a single-piece windscreen or even one formed from three separate pieces of glass with one large central piece and two side parts angled sharply and flowing into

900-484: The driver and the seats placed slightly rearwards as in the modern-day McLaren F1 . All other T77's had the steering wheel on the right-hand side as Czechoslovakia (like a number of other European countries) drove on the left before the Second World War. The unique car pictured here is the two-door coupé prototype used by Erich Übelacker. This one also had the more powerful engine from the later Tatra 87 . Ledwinka

945-516: The eight-cylinder Opel Regent luxury car and a crank operated window by Brose . The 1929, 1930, and 1932 IAA were cancelled due to the Great Depression . Despite the still perceptible after-effects of the global recession, the 22nd IAA was held in Berlin in 1931 with a total of 295,000 visitors. For the first time the exhibition included front-wheel drive vehicles like the DKW F1 . The 23rd IAA

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990-414: The engine in the rear of the car, directly above the driven axle. Subsequently there was no need for a floor tunnel with a drive shaft and exhaust pipes, which contributed to a reduction in weight. As the designers wanted to reduce the rolling resistance , they did their best to produce an engine as light as possible: an air-cooled V8 with a crank case made from elektron , a magnesium alloy. The gearbox

1035-401: The engine, transmission, suspension and body. The average drag coefficient of a 1:5 model of Tatra 77 was recorded as 0.2455. The later model T77a, introduced in 1935, has a top speed of over 150 km/h (93 mph) due to its advanced aerodynamic design which delivers an exceptionally low drag coefficient of 0.212. Sources claim that this is the coefficient of a 1:5 scale model, not of

1080-753: The first time, which later came to be known as the Beetle . The 29th installation of the event gathered a total of 825,000 visitors - an all-time record at that time. This was the last IAA before it was again suspended during World War II . The 2000 show was the last Berlin Motor Show, with over 200,000 visitors. In 1998, the AAA was held at the Berlin exposition area between October 17 and 25. Messe Berlin Messe Berlin ( Berlin Messegelände ) are exhibition grounds in

1125-403: The following years, the annual exhibition developed to a national hall of fame of German engineering skill, essentially influenced by Nazi propaganda . Pushed by extensive billboard and screen advertising, the IAA finally became a mass event, with more than 600,000 visitors in 1934. In his inaugural speech, Hitler promised the construction of a cheap, simple car for the masses. He also proclaimed

1170-472: The four shrouded pairs of finned iron cylinders, and a large hinged alloy cover maintains a warm environment for the carburettor in winter. Hans Ledwinka was the chief designer responsible for the development of the new car, while Erich Übelacker was responsible for the body. Development was very secretive until the last moments of the official presentation on March 5, 1934, at Tatra's offices in Prague . The car

1215-458: The idea of economic autarky , illustrated by the display of wood gas generators based on the patent of Georges Imbert or a steam car designed by Henschel . Nevertheless, the launch of the stream-lined Tatra 77 attracted greater attention. The manufacturing of the people's car ( Volkswagen ) remained the central issue of the following exhibitions. Finally in 1939, the KdF -car was presented for

1260-542: The only manufacturer to incorporate Jaray's streamlining principles into their series car production, starting with the Tatra 77. Before designing the large, luxurious T77, Jaray designed an aerodynamic body for the Tatra 57 , a mid-range model. This prototype was not developed further and failed to reach production. Instead, Jaray constructed two prototypes for a concept designated the Tatra V570 , which more closely conformed to his aerodynamic streamlining principles, featuring

1305-536: The outbreak of World War I . With a pause after the war, the IAA was then reinstated and returned to a newly built exhibition hall in Berlin Westend in 1921, with 67 German automobile manufacturers displaying 90 vehicles under the motto "comfort", including the Rumpler Tropfenwagen and a Bosch electric car horn . More than 600 exhibitors participated in the 15th IAA in 1923 and the next year's show saw

1350-586: The parking area between the central bus station and the S-Bahn ring . Because of the First World War, however, it was not opened until the German Motor Show on September 23, 1921. The next day, the first car race took place at the nearby AVUS . Another exhibition hall was built in 1924 according to plans by Jean Krämer and Johann Emil Schaudtbuilt on the site of the bus station. Today's area had been serving as

1395-492: The particular favourite of Tatra design engineer Erich Übelacker , who owned and used a T77 himself from 1934. Other famous owners of T77s were Miloš Havel , the proprietor of the film studios in Prague , who bought a T77 in 1935, Austrian car designer Edmund Rumpler , who designed the aerodynamic Rumpler Tropfenwagen in 1921, Edvard Beneš , the 1930s minister of Foreign Affairs and later president of Czechoslovakia, who both owned

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1440-649: The premiere of economy cars like the Hanomag 2/10 PS or the Opel 4 PS ( Laubfrosch ). The 1927 IAA was held at Cologne (under pressure from Mayor Konrad Adenauer ), followed by the 20th IAA in Leipzig in March 1928, nevertheless, the 21st exhibition was again held in Berlin in November. It featured the first German vehicle with a rack steering and independent suspension (Röhr 8) as well as

1485-491: The rear of the rounded roof. The trailing edge was also raised. In 1935 the T77 was updated and improved, which resulted in the T77a. The capacity of the V8 was increased to 3.4 L (207 cubic inches). This was achieved by enlarging the bore diameter from 75 to 80 mm (3.0 to 3.1 inches). The new motor increased output to 75 hp (56 kW) and maximum speed to 150 km/h (93 mph). The front now had three headlamps of which

1530-600: The show was held for the first time by the Association of German Automotive Industrialists ( Verein Deutscher Motorfahrzeug-Industrieller ) at Berlin Friedrichstraße station . The 7th exhibition in 1905 was inaugurated by Emperor Wilhelm II and until 1907, there were even two shows per year, as production had increased to an industrial level. In the next years, however, the show was suspended, due to

1575-474: The sides of the body. Air was directed to the engine by rectangular ventilation inlets behind the side windows, and exited the engine compartment through vents at the rear. At the time, Tatra registered numerous patents regarding air flow to the rear engine compartment. Later the rear part of the body was widened so that both the rear fenders and door hinges were embedded into the bodywork itself. The air now flowed through transverse inlets which were raised above

1620-413: The speed. A car with a more standard body shape of the era needed a very powerful engine to reach higher speeds. The Tatra's new body shape was tested in a wind tunnel . However, the new requirements this brought about resulted in far-reaching changes to the car's design. The requirement of a small front face area limited the car's height, which in turn required the use of a flat floor. That led to putting

1665-765: The striking entrance building on Hammarskjöldplatz. The inner area of the site, known as the "Sommergarten" (summer garden), in the form of a stadium-like green area, was also created during the redesign in the mid-1930s. From 1954 to 1969, the Federal Assembly elected the German Federal President in the Ostpreußenhalle on the exhibition grounds (today: Hall 18). [REDACTED] Media related to Messe Berlin at Wikimedia Commons 52°30′14″N 13°16′24″E  /  52.50389°N 13.27333°E  / 52.50389; 13.27333 This article about

1710-448: The top of the automobile market. Ledwinka's team subsequently stopped work on the V570 and concentrated on designing large luxury cars. Tatra aimed to make state-of-the-art cars that would be fast, stable, nearly silent, economical and built to the most rigorous engineering standards, as well as reflect modern aerodynamic research. The T77/77A cars were quite probably the last production use of

1755-436: Was also made from elektron, and it was positioned in front of the engine and rear axle. The rear position of the engine was favourable for air cooling, while the oil cooler , battery and spare wheel were positioned in the front of the car. The frameless body was characterized by its central structural member, which was firmly welded to the floor panels and which covered the linkage to the brakes, gearbox, etc. The front of

1800-423: Was an expensive luxury car – a price was 98,000 koruns (equal to some 4,000 USD in 1935). . It is a sensation when it comes to its construction, to its appearance and to its performance. However, it isn't a sensation that has just fallen from the skies, but is a logical extension of roads [themselves], which Hans Ledwinka made thirteen years ago. The ideological principle of the new Tatra is an understanding that

1845-462: Was based on a 1:10 scale-model test, and it has been confirmed recently that the drag coefficient for the real full-size car is 0.36. The Tatra 77 was a hand-built car with a leather interior. Some cars had a glass partition between the front and rear seats. A sliding roof was available. An unusual feature on a few of the T77 models was a central position for the steering wheel in the dashboard. The front-seat passengers were seated on either side of

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1890-448: Was based on the first two halls, only gradually gave way to the current name Ausstellungshallen am Funkturm . In a major fire in 1935, the radio industry building burned down and severely damaged the radio tower. The other two halls north of Masurenallee were destroyed by bombs during World War II. The basic structure of today's exhibition center, designed by architect Richard Ermisch , was built in 1937 along Masurenallee and Messedamm with

1935-428: Was demonstrated on the road from Prague to Karlovy Vary , where it easily reached 145 kilometres per hour (90 mph), and amazed journalists with its great handling and comfortable ride at speeds of about 100 kilometres per hour (60 mph). On March 8, the Tatra was presented at Berlin motor show, where it became the centre of attention due not only to its atypical design but also to its performance. That same year

1980-629: Was held from 11 to 23 February 1933, a few days after the Nazi seizure of power . It was inaugurated by Chancellor Adolf Hitler , who announced tax benefits for car owners, a major road construction programme and state-funded motorsport events. New models introduced included the Ford Köln , the Standard Superior , as well as the twelve-cylinder Maybach Zeppelin DS 8, then the most expensive German car ever built. In

2025-620: Was not entirely satisfied with the T77's handling, which was hampered by the car's rather heavy rear. He started work on a successor to the T77, which was to be lighter and have improved weight distribution. Tatra achieved that with the Tatra 87 that was introduced in 1936. A Tatra 77 features in the 1935 film The Tunnel at 17:23, and again at 58:30. A 1936 Tatra 77 was shown at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London from November 2019 to April 2020 included in their exhibition "Cars: Accelerating

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