The Lane Motor Museum in Nashville has built a reputation on the wide variety of cars it houses. Among the Peels, Panhards and Martins are the more prosaic Fiats, Citroëns and Hondas (usually Euro- or Japan-spec).
Then, there are the Tatras. Museum owner Jeff Lane has been collecting them for more than a decade. Outside of the Czech Republic, there are more Tatras at the Lane than at any other museum in the world.
"When we first opened in 1993, we had most of them on display in the first grouping as you enter," Lane said. "One time, we only had a few out and some visitors said, 'Geez, I came to see the Tatras. We read that you have a lot more!' So we've gone back to always having at least five or six on display."
When we asked how many the museum owned, Lane squinted his eyes and said, "About 17, I think." Then he consulted his list: "17, 18, 19 . . . 22," he said. "Sorry, I forgot a few."
Six Tatras are on display in an exhibit entitled "Tatra--The Final 50 Years." The cars range from a 1937 T-97 to a 1996 T-700. Each of these air-cooled, rear-engine cars has its own charm, but the silver 1947 T-87 stands out as the jewel in the crowd. The later T-613 and T-700 lack the svelte lines of the earlier cars.
The Tatras attract all sorts of visitors.
"We picked up Jay Leno in our T-87 when he came to Nashville to do a benefit," said Lane. "He was thrilled--he's not big on limos."
A few years ago, nephews of the innovative Tatra designer Hans Ledwinka visited the museum from their home in Indiana.
"They didn't know much about the history of Tatra," Lane said. "They just knew their uncle was a famous engineer in Europe and worked for Tatra, but I don't think they had any idea how much he did. I gave them a tour and a ride in the T-87. It was really pretty cool."
The Tatra exhibit runs until May 21 of next year. Stop by to see the Tatras--you can't miss them--and allow a few hours to see the entire eclectic collection. You can find out more online at http://www.lanemotormuseum.org/.
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