The Aero Minor is a Czechoslovakia automobile that was manufactured by Aero from 1946 until 1952. It was designed by Jawa Motors engineers on their previous Jawa Minor design; they worked on it secretly during the German occupation of Czechoslovakia. [1] It had a two-cylinder, two-stroke engine with 615cc displacement and front wheel drive. The car reached speeds of up to 90 km/h. The engine produced 20 hp and it had a fuel consumption of 8 L/100 km. [2] It carried saloon and station wagon bodies.
The Aero Minor excelled in its time with its spacious body, quiet operation, low fuel consumption and long service life. A total of 14,178 cars were produced, half of the cars were exported to 23 countries, mainly to the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Sweden, Austria and Switzerland. Many long-distance and demonstration rides were undertaken with the Aero Minor. In 1947, the famous traveler František Alexander Elstner set out from Prague to Africa across the Sahara to the Gulf of Guinea and back. In 1948, another Aero Minor reached the Arctic Circle being the first car to reach these places in the winter.
The car was also successful in car competitions and on the racetrack. A sports version Aero Minor Sport competed at 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1949, where it took second place in its class. [3] For racing purposes, the engine bore was enlarged, increasing the displacement to 744 cm3 and power increased to 23 kW (30 hp) at 5000 rpm. This race car was used by many successful Czechoslovak car racers.
The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is called a "star engine" in some other languages.
The Hispano-Suiza 12Y was an aircraft engine produced by Hispano-Suiza for the French Air Force before the Second World War. The 12Y became the primary French 1,000 hp (750 kW) class engine and was used in a number of famous aircraft, including the Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 and Dewoitine D.520.
The Aero 45 was a twin-piston engined civil utility aircraft produced in Czechoslovakia after World War II. Aero Vodochody produced the aircraft in 1947–1951, after which the Let Kunovice rolled out these planes until 1961. In 1958 the Ae-45S became the first Czechoslovak plane to cross the Atlantic Ocean. It was the first product of the nation's postwar aviation industry and proved a great success, with many of the 590 produced being exported.
The Mazda Wankel engines are a family of Wankel rotary combustion car engines produced by Mazda.
Avia Motors s.r.o. is a Czech automotive manufacturer. It was founded in 1919 as an aircraft maker, and diversified into trucks after 1945. As an aircraft maker it was notable for producing biplane fighter aircraft, especially the B-534. Avia ceased aircraft production in 1963.
JAWA is a motorcycle and moped manufacturer founded in Prague, Czechoslovakia in 1929 by František Janeček, who bought the motorcycle division of Wanderer. The name JAWA was established by concatenating the first letters of Janeček and Wanderer. In the past — especially in the 1950s — JAWA was one of the top motorcycle manufacturers and exported its 350 model to over 120 countries. The best known model was the 350 Pérák, and in the 1970s the 350 Californian. It appeared in typical black and red coloring from California to New Zealand. After 1990 a significant loss of production occurred. A successor company was formed in 1997 in Týnec nad Sázavou, continuing the name as JAWA Moto.
Česká zbrojovka is a Czech company producing forklifts Desta and components for the automobile industry, it is former firearms manufacturer, also known for making ČZ motorcycles. ČZ was established as a branch of the Škoda Works Armament in Strakonice, Czechoslovakia in September 1919.
The Tatra 700 is a rear-engined luxury car released in 1996 by the Czech car maker Tatra. It was essentially a heavily restyled version of the Tatra 613 model it replaced. It is one of the last production cars with an air-cooled engine.
In an internal combustion engine, a supercharger compresses the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to produce more power for a given displacement.
Velorex was a manufacturing cooperative in Solnice, Czechoslovakia. Notable products included a small three-wheeled car, produced from the 1950s until 1971, and the Type 562 sidecar. The sidecar is still manufactured in the Czech Republic by Velorexport, the successor to Velorex.
The Tatra 57 are a series of two-door compact cars, built by Czechoslovakian company Tatra from 1932. They are popularly known by the nickname "Hadimrška".
The original Porsche 911 is a luxury sports car made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. A prototype of the famous, distinctive, and durable design was shown to the public in autumn 1963. Production began in September 1964 and continued through 1989. It was succeeded by a modified version, internally referred to as Porsche 964 but still sold as Porsche 911, as are current models.
The Opel Kadett C is a small family car which was produced by the German automobile manufacturer Opel from 1973 to 1979. The Kadett C, which was the third generation of the Opel Kadett, was released in August 1973, and was Opel's version of the General Motors' "T-Car". It was the last small Opel to feature rear-wheel drive, and remained in production at Opel's Bochum plant until July 1979, by which time Opel had produced 1,701,076. Of these, 52% had been exported outside West Germany, most of them to markets in other parts of western Europe. In other world markets however, various badge engineered versions of the Kadett C remained in production as late as the mid 1990s under other GM brand names.
The Jawa 350 is a motorcycle, produced by Jawa Moto in Czechoslovakia since the 1930s until 1992 and in the Czech Republic until present. In the 1950s, with its two-stroke, air-cooled 343 cc engine it could reach speeds of 132 kilometres per hour (82 mph) and was exported into over 120 countries of the world.
The Porsche 911 is a two-door 2+2 high performance rear-engined sports car introduced in September 1964 by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. It has a rear-mounted flat-six engine and originally a torsion bar suspension. The car has been continuously enhanced through the years but the basic concept has remained unchanged. The engines were air-cooled until the introduction of the 996 series in 1998.
The Škoda 633 is a Czechoslovak mid-size car that was made by Škoda from 1931 to 1934.
The Jawa 700 was a car produced by Jawa in Czechoslovakia during the 1930s.
The Praga Alfa was the name used by Praga in Czechoslovakia for one of its principal car ranges. Production started in 1913 and finished in 1942.
Wichterle & Kovářik was a Czechoslovakian machinery manufacturer based in Prostějov. They produced cars and trucks from 1925 to 1937.
The Škoda Sport was a sports racing car, designed, developed, and produced by Czechoslovak automobile manufacturer Škoda. The two-seater roadster with aluminum body and pontoon construction was released in 1949.
^ Hans-Otto Neubauer, "A.A.G.", in G.N. Georgano, ed., The Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars 1885-1968 (New York: E.P. Dutton and Co., 1974), pp.28. Library of Congress Card No 68-22674.