Unitas - The Hungarian Tatra

UNITAS

A Unitas története magyarul is olvasható!

The "Unitas Automobil Ipar- és Kereskedelmi R.T." (Unitas Automobil Industrial and Trade Co Ltd) was established in 1920 in Budapest.
Their base, at Zápolya street housed some automobil-related companies before but it's not so relevant.
The first attempt to not just repair but to create a car was in 1921 but their small model remained a one-off. Later they tried their hands on motorbikes. By 1927 Unitas was on the edge: none of their businesses made any money.
But a contract with the Czech Ringhoffer company saved them: in 1928 they started to assemble the Tatra T12.
All the key components were supplied by Tatra: the 2-cylinder, air-cooled boxer engine, transmission, the tube-frame and the rear suspension along with the steering system.
The body, bonnet, rear arm and the front and rear springs were manufactured in Hungary.
The Unitas-Tatras were offered in various styles like "kombiné" (a limousine with a detachable top which converted the car into a tourer).
The Hungarian Ministry of Industry and Commerce haven't recognized the Unitas- Tatras as Hungarian products due to the low percentage of the home-made elements.
The recession killed the venture in 1933. By that time about 500 Unitas were assembled.
The Unitas company lasted until 1948 when they became state-owned.
The headline photo was taken from a picture from the Hungarian Fönix Posta. Fönix was a Hungarian non-state veteran club in the '80s. Lack of free-time killed this small club.
The accompanying story said that a 1928 Unitas-Tatra was saved by a club member.
The car was used as a personal transporter than as a small truck. During the '50s it was disassembled in a small rural village and rusted until 1977.
Two collectors tried to find it and with the help of an ad in local magazine advertising flower-dust (the Unitas was used as a bee-transporter in 1950) they found the wreeck.
The restoration started in 1978 and in the mid-80s the car was totally new. I'll try to get photos.

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