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StB agents scattered my father’s ashes under Tatraplan. Ivan Margolius tells about his Czech roots and gives his view on Tatra and Ledwinka.
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Auctions & Trade, History, Literature & Manuals, Personal, Press, Tatra club & register news
Bike news from Koprivnice
Czech Republic’s largest bike manufacturer acquired
The Czech Republic’s largest bike manufacturer, Bike Fun International, has been acquired after more than a year of negotiation by investment group Consillium.
In the trade Bike Fun is best known as the manufacturer behind house label Superior, Rock Machine and Frappé, though the production lines are likewise busy with OEM bicycles for foreign markets.
More than 80% of the Kopřivnice production is exported. The company employs almost 500 people and has produced more than 2.5 million bikes and e-Bikes during its history.
“The sale of BFI has been our long-term goal. In recent years, the company has entered such a rapid phase of growth that me and other owners have not been able to finance it in the long run. And just at the right time we were contacted by the Consillium investment group who have the necessary funds to finance the company’s growth. I am glad that the BFI will be in Czech hands”, said Mark de Kwant, CEO and the founder of BFI who, together with the top management, remains in charge of the company.
The new owner, Consillium, plans to further develop BFI which has produced more than 2.5 million bicycles since 2001.
“Thanks to this acquisition we can offer our customers sports equipment 365 days a year,” said Tomáš Klápště, Managing Director of Consillium. In addition to the recently acquired bicycle brands, the company also owns the Austrian ski brand Kästle and the Czech ski manufacturer Sporten.
Consillium does not plan to change the portfolio of BFI brands; on the contrary, they want to strengthen their development and support expansion into global markets.
“We will support not only the foreign expansion of our bicycle brands, which will be costly, but also the growth of the offer for OEM customers. We want the BFI to continue to grow because we know that this company and the people in it have what it takes to succeed,” explained Tomáš Klápště.
BFI currently sells bicycles and accessories in 29, mostly European, countries. Mark de Kwant will also lead to the continuity of growth as the CEO in the coming years.
“In January 2021 we will be launching the ninth production line and the launch of the tenth will depend on the supply of materials. In order to grow we need to find a lot of more new employees in the coming months,” said Mark de Kwant. The company’s strategy thus remains the same as before the change of the owner: to increase production, continually improve quality, offer top customer service and support new markets.
The Kopřivnice factory, which is located in the Tatra complex, produces almost 200,000 bicycles and e-bikes a year sold mostly on European markets. In addition to in-house development, its paint shop and bicycle production, BFI is engaged in the development of the Sport Drive electric drive and the production of bicycle accessories under the ONE Bikeparts brand. Last year BFI achieved a turnover of 105 million euro.
The Czech Republic has been one of a number of countries to benefit from the Covid bike boom, with some suppliers turning to the European territory for emergency bike supply.
https://cyclingindustry.news/czech-republics-largest-bike-manufacturer-acquired/
VIDEO: RM vs TATRA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhz4bkwpqpI
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Auctions & Trade, Tatra Works
Corona proof Christmas gift: Tatra and Skoda 2021 Calendars by Vladimir Cettl
CALENDAR 2021: TATRA IN PARIS
In February 2020, a generous presentation took place in Paris, which has only happened once in many decades – an exhibition of Tatra cars from its beginnings to the last model of a passenger car. The idea of a large exhibition of Tatra cars at the Retromobil in Paris was born for several long years. It is very gratifying about the whole initiative that it came from French collectors and fans who decided to present to the local public the rich history of the Tatra brand, but also the story of travelers Hanzelka and Zikmund, who traveled with the Tatra 87 in politically difficult times and created a legend of unique cars with air-cooled engine. When Denis Alexander and I drank coffee one cold evening in Prague and he offered me that my exhibition of photographs of Tatra wrecks could be a diversification of this exhibition, I listened really carefully! Suddenly I hear the Frenchman telling me that a dream that seemed soarly unrealistic may soon come true! Above all, when the real preparations at all levels started, it was clear that this would be a very demanding logistical event. About half of the cars in the exhibition belonged to French collectors, but many unique cars needed to be brought to Paris from the Czech Republic. Loading and unloading rare cars in special trucks is a demanding process, but also a great show! Salon Rétromobile is one of the largest veteran car shows in the world. In a few days, it is visited by more than 100,000 spectators and is followed by many other initiatives throughout Paris – especially auctions. It was a little unimaginable for me what such traffic could actually look like and if it’s not a bit of an exaggerated number, but then we experienced it! Tens of thousands of people spilled over the exhibition every day. The most frequently asked questions were as follows: “What country is Tatra from? Czechs? And still produce? Ah, Tatra from the Paris-Dakar Rally, of course! ”We have to admit that in a car in self-sufficient France, Tatra is a bit of a mysterious brand and the intention to surprise the public with something they don’t know, even though it has a deep and rich tradition, has turned out great! It should be added that when this car show took place in February 2020, the coronavirus epidemic rolling in from China was already on our heels. Even during his car show, everything was relatively normal. It was still just “one of the news” on French television, but when I left, I had a problem getting on the plane, because many flights were canceled. The passengers, together with the airlines, dealt with a very complex situation, which was getting worse and more complicated every day. Two weeks later, such a large event could no longer take place, as well as many others that have not taken place since.
SKODA CALENDAR BY VLADIMIR CETTL OF POOR CONDITION DUTCH SKODA GARAGE
See for accompanying text and information how to buy a calendar: https://vladimircettl.com/2021-2/
formát: A3+ 48 x 33 cm
– rozsah: 13 listů
– každý výtisk je číslovaný a podepsaný
– cena: 555,-Kč + poštovné: 115,-Kč při platbě předem nebo 145,-Kč s dobírkou
– price: 39,- EUR with postage for the countries EU (SK, D, F…) & UK
– objednávky zasílejte na: vladimir@cettl.cz a do nadpisu zadejte slovo “kalendář tatra”nebo calendar skoda
– the orders to be sent to: vladimir@cettl.cz (the “calendar tatra”or”calendar skoda” in the
Buying a Tatraplan in Czech Republic or a T603 in Poland? Pros and cons.
(Prizes in the articles do not seem realistic)
Tatraplan showcar in Abbotsford-BC (Canada)
Snapshot photo around 1950 for sale at ebay: https://www.ebay.de/itm/Street-Atangard-Hotel-Tatra-Tatraplan-Show-Car-Abbotsford-BC-Snapshot-Photo/164259313424?hash=item263e9e3710:g:yykAAOSwsV5e4-g0
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Auctions & Trade
Unrestored T97 for sale in Poland: EUR 58.000
We invite you to drive and kiss our FB Sale CCCP car …. in the next offer of light and tested CCCP vehicles
Welcome to my auction, I have for sale a very row model Tatra T 97 from 1938r
Car guaranteed with registration documents …
Please only interested people !!!!
Tel. 512 274 680
I have for sale a very row model Tatra T 97 from 1938
Car guaranteed with registration documents …
Please only interested people !!!!
Tel. PL 512 274 680
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Auctions & Trade
Rare T613 Electronic for sale
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Auctions & Trade
T 603-1 to be auctioned by RM in October 2020
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Auctions & Trade
Arafat’s T603?
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Auctions & Trade
Tatra T603: It’s a woman!
A very neat coffee-table book on the T603 was published recently. It is a representative book about the legendary Tatra 603. On 384 pages he will personally tell you his life story. The book is richly illustrated with 354 images, including unique studio photos and a number of unpublished archive images.
Website: https://www.heritageandzoom.com/
Scroll through the book: https://www.heritageandzoom.com/p/tatra-603-jsem-zenska/#&gid=1&pid=1