Tatra T82 Bus "Czech Republic"

On Behalf of the National Railroad
 
In the design of the T82 truck, the wishes of the military were specifically taken into account. The T82 was fitted with the proven chassis in tube construction with the Tatra-typical pendulum axles and leaf suspension. The frame carried a 2.5-liter four-stroke engine in boxer design, which was forcibly air-cooled by two fans and produced 55 hp. These horsepower were transferred by eight forward and one reverse gear to the double-driven rear axle. The truck, which weighed just over three tons, was designed for a payload of two tons. The military as the main customer ordered the T82 mainly designed as a team bus. However, the open truck, which was only equipped with a tarpaulin, was not the only option. Also ambulances and busses for the civilian sector were among available T82 versions. The buses were ordered by the ‘ČSD’ – abbreviated for Československé státní dráhy – loosely translated ‘Czechosolvak State Railroad’.

In 1939, the tender was issued for a batch of 14 new buses based on the Tatra T72 and T82. In 1939, ČSD awarded the order for eleven identical buses to the body maker specialists of the company ‘Sodomka’ and the remaining three to the company ‘Peter’.

The design of ‘Peter’ was given an arrangement of the rows of seats one after the other and at ‘Sodomka’ seats were installed longitudinally – as was common for intercity buses at that time. The arrangement of seats was a requirement of the railway company and probably expressed that the ones dressed by Peter were intended for the inner-city regular service.