As another adept in the History section, I chose something that none of us know and it is completely unique. The basic Praga Grand has been produced since 1912, but I will introduce you to the special model Grand 8 , which left the factory only in the years 1929-1932 and thus ranked among the most comfortable cars of that time.
And what does the number 8 behind the name Grand actually mean? It indicates the number of cylinders in the engine. It is the luxurious Praga that can be proud of the first eight-cylinder produced in Czechoslovakia, but more on that later. Prague Grand 8 was also ordered by Jan Masaryk , the son of ex-president TG Masaryk. He also ordered a picnic basket with silver cutlery, wine bottles and other necessary things for this car. The four-door car with six seats had the following dimensions – 4805 mm in length, 1650 mm in width and 1805 mm in height. The wheelbase was 3451 mm.
INTERIOR COMFORT
The vehicle had a beautifully padded back part of the car and was separated from the driver's cabin by a glass partition so that the driver could not hear the important conversations of the passengers in the back seat. A telephone was placed in the car to communicate with the driver. Praga Grand 8 was really " advanced ", proof of this is e.g. special footrests for long journeys, heating, vases for flowers or even curtains! But in order not to feel sorry for the driver, he also had plenty of space behind the wheel. In front of him on the dashboard made of walnut wood, he had a beautifully readable speedometer, ammeter or perhaps a thermometer. A plush carpet covered the entire floor of the car, and the door handles, hangers, window frames were lightly plated with nickel.
ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND TECHNOLOGY
Now we get to the promised engine! As already indicated by the placed " eight " on the radiator, it is an eight-cylinder liquid-cooled petrol engine with a volume of 3582 cc with a power of 60, later 65 horses! With a car weighing almost two tons, it was possible to reach a maximum speed of 115 km/h . However, even such an eight-cylinder has its weak side, and that was fuel consumption , more precisely, it was about 20 l/100 km . In-line eight-cylinders were produced only in factories that were at a really high level. This luxurious type of engine also brought a number of novelties – central lubrication using levers from the driver's seat even while driving, removable cylinder heads, intake and exhaust valves. Thanks to the two Zenith carburettors with connectors, it was easier to adjust the consumption of the car at start-up or during normal operation again with the levers under the steering wheel!
Driving the car itself was made easier by, for example, the central hydraulic brake booster, the synchronization of the third and fourth gears in the transmission. A compressor for inflating the tires was also included. The ride was better thanks to the dual-acting liquid suspension dampers. Even at this time the safety of the crew was thought of. When getting out of the car in the dark, passengers were at risk from other vehicles, but this was solved by lighting the steps when opening the doors.
A FEW WORDS AT THE END…
The price of the car at that time was around 125,000 Czechoslovak crowns , but we do not know the price tag that Jan Masaryk had to pay for a truly luxurious piece. To this day, diplomat Masaryk's Praga Grand 8 is preserved , and believe it or not, the wicker picnic basket has survived as well. In the thirties of the last century, the Praga Grand 8 was among the most luxurious cars of Czech production, and was even called the Czech Rolls-Royce !
Photo gallery: autokaleidoskop.cz, wikipedia.org
