Founders

Tatra was founded in 1850 by Ignác Šustála. Tatra was part of the Tatra Truck company and was the first to produce four-wheeled carriages. The company began building railway cars in 1891 and changed its name to Nesselsdorfer Wagenbau-Fabriksgesellschaft. Tatra's technical director Hugo Fischer was inspired by the car when he bought Benz and built the company's first car, the President, later that year. The following year, they produced their first truck. Tatra built tanks and trucks for the German army during World War II, but several soldiers were killed in these vehicles, which led to the ban on the use of Tatra trucks by soldiers. The company officially ceased production in 1999, but it still continues to build trucks.