Praga (company)
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Společnost s ručením omezeným | |
Industry | Automotive |
Founded | 1907 |
Headquarters | Prague, Czech republic |
Products | cars, karts, planes |
Parent | PRAGA-Export s.r.o. |
Website | pragaglobal.com |
Praga is a manufacturing company based in Prague, Czech Republic. The company produced automobiles, karts, road supersports and planes. Praga V3S was one of the best off-road trucks in its time and was used by the Czechoslovak Army more than half a century.
The current company Praga-Export, which uses the brand Praga, is engaged in the production of cars, karts and car racing.
History
Praga was founded in 1907 to build motor cars as a venture between entrepreneur František Ringhoffer and the company 1. českomoravská továrna na stroje (“First Bohemian-Moravian Machine Works”, later a founding part of the ČKD factories). Ringhoffer only stayed for one year and in 1909 the trade name Praga (“Prague” in Latin) was adopted. One of its early models was built under licence from the Italian company of Isotta-Fraschini.
Praga also diversified into building engines and gearboxes for other applications such as aircraft and tanks.
In 1929 Praga merged with ČKD, one of Czechoslovakia’s largest engineering companies.
In 1929 ČKD’s BDmotorcycle was re-branded under the Praga marque. This was an advanced four-stroke single-cylinderunit constructiondouble overhead camshaft model of 500cc designed in 1927 by JF Koch. The “BD” designation was retained as its model name.
In 1932 Praga added a second motorcycle model, the BC. This had a single overhead camshaft engine of 350cc, shaft drive and a pressed steelframe. Praga ended production of both motorcycle models in 1933.
The factory was largely destroyed by air raids in 1945. After the Second World War it was rebuilt and resumed truck and bus construction.
The M53/59 Praga was a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun developed in the late 1950s. It consists of a heavily modified Praga V3S 6 wheel drive truck chassis and twin 30 mm AA autocannon.
In 2006, Praga was purchased by British International Truck Alliance with the intention to produce trucks with the name of Praga in Lublin, Poland. In 2007 it produces gearboxes and hydraulic machinery.
In June 2011 the company unveiled at Dutch Supercar Challenge in Belgium, the new car Praga R4 with eight-cylinder engine of 520 hp, which has not been so far homologated for normal road traffic. According to company owner Petr Ptáček, there will follow gradual steps, so new Praga cars will not be seen only at racetracks, but we could meet them in normal traffic.
In 2016, the company plans first deliveries of supersport road cars Praga R1R, in a limited edition of 68 cars. It will be the first road car of Praga since 1947.
Products
Automobiles
Praga Mignon (1911-1929)
Praga Grand (1912–1932) – limousine
Praga Alfa (1913–1942)
Praga Baby (1934–1937)
Praga Piccolo (1924–1941)
Praga Super Piccolo (1934–1936)
Praga Golden (1934–1935)
1938 Praga Lady jako ambulans
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1938 Praga Lady r.v. Praga Lady (1935–1947)
- Praga R4S (2011) – racing car (the company plans homologation for normal operation)
Praga R1 (2012) – racing car
All Praga automobile production stopped by 1947, but was restarted in 2011 when Praga constructed the R4S. It utilizes a 3.2 liter V8 based on the Suzuki Hayabusa engine and produces 530 BHP, with a total weight of only 88 kilograms. A feature on the R4S are the markings for camber and toe, which eliminates the need of advanced tools, with a specific amount of “clicks” representing a certain degree of camber or toe.
Motorcycles
Praga Trucks
Praga V3S (1953-1990) – 3 ton all-terrain truck (6×6), produced around 130,000 units
Praga S5T (1956-1974) – 5 ton truck (4×2)
- Praga UV100 (prototype 1985)
- Praga UV120 (prototype 1985)
Praga UV80 (1992-2001) – multi-purpose medium truck (4×4)
Buses
and Praga RND(iesel)
Trolleybuses
Praga TOT Unrealized projects: Praga TNT and Praga TB 2
Light Tank
Panzer 38(t)Ausführung S in the German Panzermuseum in Munster
Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun PV3S PLDVK vz. 53/59 – “Ještěrka” (“Lizard”). The chassis and the motor was produced in Praga.
Praga LT vz. 38 (od 1938) light tank in service with the German Wehrmacht as Panzer 38(t) Praga LTH export version of the LT to Switzerland where it was called the Panzerwagen 39.
Aircraft
Praga BH-39 (E-39) Praga BH-41
- Praga BH-44
Praga BH-111
- Praga E-39
- Praga E-40
- Praga E-45
Prage E-51
Praga E-114
Praga E-114M Air Baby OK-BGL edited-2
- Praga E-210
1952 Hillson Praga G-AEUT
Artillery tractors
Praga T-3
- Praga T-4
- Praga T-6
- Praga T-7
- Praga T-8
- Praga T-9
The rest are pictures from my collection: all collected on the world wide web:























1932 Praga_Alfa_1932_katalog 1932 Praga_Piccolo_1932_katalog
1936 lady_1936
1937 praga_lady_1937






Hallo,Jeroen,ben in het bezit van een praga alfa 1929,is het mogelijk om nog onderdelen te kopen van deze auto,zoals koppakking en andere dichtingen ,remmen enz….. Kan ik bij U meer uitleg krijgen of weet U waar dat mogelijk is,zijn hier verenegingen van ofzo?Vriendelijke groeten,mooie auto’s,dank U.
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Er zitten op facebook wel twee Praga clubs waar u het zou kunnen navragen. Helaas weet ik zelf niet waar u terecht zou kunnen. Gegroet.
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