Andy Blois and David Lane drive the awesome Tatra 813, and come away with a new addition to their 'must have' list. Well its about time we redressed the balance of power and featured something that even the Americans can't make bigger. Those of you out there with Ford Explorers or 5.9l Grand Cherokees prepare to be humiliated. For today, we are going to forget completely about everything we ever test an off roader for. We are going to completely ignore the issues of practicality.
Size is everything.
The Tatra 813 was built in the 1960s as a high mobility load carrier and tractor for the Warsaw Pact forces. The 813 represented the top of the range for a series of trucks built with a modular chassis and engine design. The truck has been developed and improved and today remains in production as the 815. We went to a quarry in Wiltshire to find out what these brutes are really like under the careful eyes of the British Europa Truck Trial Team. Nothing prepares you for quite how large these things are.