Erich Ledwinka

Engineer

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Erich Ledwinka was an M.Sc. engineer and car designer. He was a son of car designer Hans Ledwinkan.

Ledwinka studied mechanical engineering at Vienna Polytechnic. He completed his training period in 1921 at his father's workplace in Tatra, where he also went to work.

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Erich Ledwinka was an M.Sc. engineer and car designer. He was a son of car designer Hans Ledwinkan.

Ledwinka studied mechanical engineering at Vienna Polytechnic. He completed his training period in 1921 at his father's workplace in Tatra, where he also went to work.

At the beginning of the 1930s, Ledwinka and Erich Übelacker led a design project, resulting in a small, streamlined, rear-wheel drive Tatra V-570. The power source was an air-cooled boxer motor. Only three prototypes were produced from the car, after which the project was shelved, as it was thought that the streamlined design would sell in a larger size class. 

In 1936, Übelacker moved to Steyr and Ledwinka inherited his position as Tatra's chief designer. The same year, an improved version of the T  -87 was introduced on the basis of the Tatra T-77, which Ledwinka was responsible for designing the air-cooled V8 engine, and a cheaper version of the T-97 with a four-cylinder boxer motor.

Both the V-570 and the T-97 are considered to be Volkswagen Bumper models.

Subject ID: 52110

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Subject ID: 52110