T 97 Classic car of the year 2013?

The editors of Classic Cars, Practical Classics and Classic Car Weekly have been through hundreds of entries and have chosen the 30 cars which they felt epitomise the classic car scene and the many fantastic endeavours that go into getting and keeping classics on the road. Now it’s time for you – the classic car loving public to decide. The vote runs until the 27th September so don’t waste any time in choosing your favourites, and remember it’s their stories that count.
The five cars chosen by the public vote will be revealed at the Classic Motor Show at Birmingham’s NEC on November 15-17th.
One of the candidates is Ian Tisdale’s Tatra T97
This Tatra T97, one of only 510 made and the only registered running example in the UK, is a regular rally participant and was driven to Germany and back without any issues in 2011. It was delivered, painted pink, to its first lady owner in Bratislava the day before Christmas Eve 1938. With a magnesium ohc engine and transmission, rack & pinion steering, hydraulic brakes, 12v. electrics and a top speed of 83mph, it was an expensive hand-built avant-garde compact, not the potential VW rival often imagined. This example received a 17-week bare metal bodyshell restoration last year that involved the removal of eleven to fourteen layers of paint and filler that had added over 6% to its weight. There was very little corrosion, but the bottoms of all four ash-framed doors were replaced, shut-lines adjusted and all panels carefully re-profiled. This 75-year-old ‘matching numbers’ car is still kept on the button and campaigned throughout the year. For the second year running, marshals at Stony Stratford’s New Year’s day gathering initially directed the Tatra away from the town square reserved for pre-WW2 cars, not realising how old it is. Owners Ian and Kirsten Tisdale also have two more recent Tatras.
Vote at: http://www.ccoty.co.uk/
T97Tisdale2013-2
The editors of Classic Cars, Practical Classics and Classic Car Weekly have been through hundreds of entries and have chosen the 30 cars which they felt epitomise the classic car scene and the many fantastic endeavours that go into getting and keeping classics on the road. Now it’s time for you – the classic car loving public to decide. The vote runs until the 27th September so don’t waste any time in choosing your favourites, and remember it’s their stories that count.
The five cars chosen by the public vote will be revealed at the Classic Motor Show at Birmingham’s NEC on November 15-17th.
One of the candidates is Ian Tisdale’s Tatra T97
This Tatra T97, one of only 510 made and the only registered running example in the UK, is a regular rally participant and was driven to Germany and back without any issues in 2011. It was delivered, painted pink, to its first lady owner in Bratislava the day before Christmas Eve 1938. With a magnesium ohc engine and transmission, rack & pinion steering, hydraulic brakes, 12v. electrics and a top speed of 83mph, it was an expensive hand-built avant-garde compact, not the potential VW rival often imagined. This example received a 17-week bare metal bodyshell restoration last year that involved the removal of eleven to fourteen layers of paint and filler that had added over 6% to its weight. There was very little corrosion, but the bottoms of all four ash-framed doors were replaced, shut-lines adjusted and all panels carefully re-profiled. This 75-year-old ‘matching numbers’ car is still kept on the button and campaigned throughout the year. For the second year running, marshals at Stony Stratford’s New Year’s day gathering initially directed the Tatra away from the town square reserved for pre-WW2 cars, not realising how old it is. Owners Ian and Kirsten Tisdale also have two more recent Tatras.