The importer’s wish

When choosing the transport of postal items, the Swiss authority ‘PTT’ was open to everything that the vehicle market offered. This also benefited the company ‘Fred. Schenk’, located in Worblaufen-Bern, which gained a foothold in Switzerland with the import of the brand ‘Tatra’ from 1935.

Since 1932, Tatra had been offering the Type 57, an 80 km/h – fast passenger car from which the heavily modified Type 57 A was derived from 1936. The 1,155 cc four-cylinder engine with 20 hp appeared like a boxer engine at first glance, but was designed as a 180° V-engine.

Around 1936, the importer advertised the car at the Swiss state post office and apparently praised the car so convincingly to the official buyers that they concluded a supply contract with the company Schenk. In order to be able to take over the model in postal service, eight cars were fitted with a box-van body at the rear. Four years later, further Tatra vehicles were taken over by the official postal service. In 1941, however, the Type 57 A was no longer being offered, but his successor; the Tatra 57 B. First and foremost, it was the power increase of 5 hp, which differed the 57 B, which was offered from 1938, from its predecessor. In this version, five more vehicles increased the PTT fleet. In 1947, ten more vehicles were bought, which also received a modified rear structure. This time, the company ‘Reber & Sohn’ in Bern did the required sheet metal work. Just one year later, the Swiss Post ordered another six vehicles, also fitted with the body of ‘Reber & Sohn’. In contrast to the fist Tatra conversion from 1937, it is striking how harmoniously the newly designed rear area now fits into the complete car body.