Rolling through the streets of Los Angeles in his 1941 Tatra T87, Mr. Paul Greenstein might as well be invisible. Other drivers speed past his Czech oddity without a second glance, seemingly oblivious to the car's dorsal fin and triple headlights. But as Paul swings the Tatra into a parking space in front of a favorite local bistro, it's as if he has brought the black teardrop to a stop in the middle of a Hollywood spotlight that immediately attracts the attention of every passerby. Here come the second glances, the puzzled questions.
"What in the world is that?"
"Is that a...a Citroen? A Volkswagen? An, uh....I mean, what is it?"
That question--"What the hell is that?"--is one that visitors to Paul's world frequently find themselves asking. His East Los Angeles shop is a celebration of all things old, vintage, and, by Paul's own admission, weird: a Skoda Felicia convertible awaiting restoration, a half dozen Seeburg and Wurlitzer jukeboxes, and even, amidst a congregation of Indian and BMW motorcycles, a vintage coin-operated peep show. Somewhere in here, Paul finds enough space to make neon signs for a living.
A short drive away is Paul's house, a hilltop Victorian that Paul still locks up with the original skeleton key and that, not surprisingly, struggles to contain more of Paul's curios. This is where he keeps the antique board games, the assorted Tatra memorabilia, even a pre-World War I Czech military uniform. With the jukeboxes rocking the shop, Paul relies on an Edison cylinder phonograph for music at home. Or, if he's feeling lively, he can always pull from his own experience as the onetime leader of a local Western Swing band and belt out a Spade Cooley tune on his own.
Paul is proof that what starts as a passion for vintage cars seldom stops at vintage cars. Automobiles, after all, are a collection of many disciplines and endeavors (metallurgy, communications, upholstery, mechanics, design and more) and the desire to enjoy, drive, fix, and learn about them tends to lead a person down a rabbit hole of fascination with bygone eras. Before knowing it, 78rpm records, 1920s furniture, and, classic cars have replaced their modern-day equivalents.
Oh, and there is stream of people scratching their head, asking, "What the hell is that?"
Drive Tastefully®
Petrolicious.com
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Here in Czech Republic, in the birthplace of Tatra these old versions are pretty rare too. Mostly they are taken as sign of our former wealth and capability, which in many ways died down during Nazi occupation and then after 1948, when we were cemented in "Eastern Bloc" as a soviet satellite state. Tatra made small number of passenger cars until 90's but in period of 1948-1989 their production was aimed at the top regime officials - normal people couldn't afford one. Today Tatra is still producing cars, but in form of heavy duty trucks. They are pretty famous too, but for different things. And yes, german officers were after some time forbidden to use these cars because sooner or later they would end up in a ditch and very dead. One last thing - the license plate of this piece says "OSMIVLC" which stands for "Osmiválec" / ''Eight cylinder" - in Czech that is "eight" (osm) and "válec" (cylinder)...
Csechoslovakia
Reggae Latinus Czechoslovakia.
Zdravím
ختاففنفنفتاتععانععف٤٤٤🇦🇿🇦🇿
Tady v České republice, v rodišti Tatry, jsou tyhle staré verze taky dost vzácné. Většinou jsou brány jako známka našeho dřívějšího bohatství a schopností, které v mnoha ohledech zanikly během nacistické okupace a pak po roce 1948, kdy jsme byli zabetonováni ve východním bloku jako sovětský satelitní stát. Tatra do 90. let vyráběla malý počet osobních automobilů, ale v letech 1948-1989 byla jejich výroba zaměřena na vrcholné představitele režimu - normální lidé si ho nemohli dovolit. Dnes Tatra stále vyrábí automobily, ale v podobě těžkých nákladních automobilů. Jsou taky dost slavní, ale každý na něco jiného. A ano, němečtí důstojníci měli po nějaké době zakázáno tato auta používat, protože dříve nebo později skončí v příkopu a velmi mrtví. Poslední věc - na poznávací značce tohoto kusu je napsáno „OSMIVLC“, což znamená „Osmiválec“ / „Osm válec“ - v češtině to znamená „osm“ (osm) a „válec“ (válec)...
Love the owner! Not about money but the passion, that there is an auto enthusiast
This guy is simply amazing. Great philosophy and great cars.
Best kind of car guy you can ever be!
And great beard as well LOL !
Whoever made this short fantastic movie deserves an Oscar.
My grandfather Hans Ledwinka designed that car.
Beth Fetter ..your grandfather is Hans Ledwinka! How cool is that!?
So your father is Erich or Fritz?
@Jerry V They are on the same level just doing trucks .
Woooooooooow!!!!! Coooool!!!
....and then someone "borrowed" the idea. Purr- shea, Poor-schäh.....😌
Great license plate! "OSMIVLC" is a shortening of czech word osmivalec meaning 8-cylinder engine.
Thanks for pointing that out :)
Correct
As a Czech, I really appreciate that Petrolicious have included T87 on the list. Being one of the most significant European motoring pioneers, Tatra undoubtedly deserves this honor. Thank you in the name of all Czech petrolheads! Now I can't wait for you to make a movie about our beloved beauty, 1950's Czech state of the art, Tatra 603... :)
T603 is really the crown jewel of Czech engineering!
Czech republic, or Czechoslovakia before separation, is an amazing country. How such a small country has been able to create so many amazing things and often advanced in so many areas, especially industrial, is amazing.
yeah, in the mid-world war era was czechoslovakia on the top with other countries :)...but then came Hitler and later communists...
bezor Ta You also have excellent beer.
Calum Crowther True about the beer, but I'm not from there. I have visited the country and am also very familiar about it's great achievements.
+Calum Crowther not only beer ;-) Look at Reno Pylon races... lots of L-39 airplanes.
I'm not from there but just been visiting and know a bit of their history.
Did not really happen to me quite yet. I am watching it for the third time today and i still can not get enough of it. I love you Petrolicious.
Jay Leno is a huge Tatra fan and has a few nice videos about them. An incredible car. Would feel absolutely privileged to have one or even be allowed to ride one.
Love that felicia in his garage, waiting to be restored
+r6201sk Přesně :)
Look up images of the Hungarian comic book 'Cafe Postnuclear' on google. It's basically a soviet version of Mad Max. The protagonist drives a madmaxified Felicia cabrio. It's amazing :D
@@ipariszalonna Looks more like Duke Nukem lol
@@ipariszalonna is it possible to buy it in ENG version? Or download it somewhere? :)
I love people like this guy. Even his house looks interesting as hell, that's before you think about all the amazing stuff he has. I would love to know him to be able to just have a look at all his weird and wonderful things. The world is a so much better place for having people like this in it.
Svět je mnohem lepší místo pro to, aby v něm byli takoví lidé...Přesně tak!
I'm Czech and I have to say, that I'm really happy for what I have just seen. Thank you Mr. Greenstein. You are a good man.
That Tatra is just jaw droopingly gorgeous. It looks weird and elegant at the same time. The interior looks fantastic and comfortable and the driver/owner, it sounds like he understands the passion.
Really beautiful industrial design. Well worth the extensive restoration. Something to love, indubitably...
İf batman would live in 40's he would definitely drive this one!
Bat mans been around since the 30's
OK then he drived it, definetly!
Enes Bilgin if the Batshark lived in the 40s he would have driven this.
I always imagined Batman as more of a Phantom Corsair kinda guy
no batman is more of a tatra 303 guy
Another splendid Petrolicious film. I'd never heard of Tatra before this. I'm glad I've learnt something new.
I am from the Czech Republic and i love this channel... And when i played this i almost cry... And old Skoda Felicia in his garage
And yes all this desing and air cooled back engines Porshes and Beatles are exist becouse of Tatra... Did you how much money gave Porshe to Tatra for stoling this? 1 mil. DEM in eightees (its nothin!) now Tatra can do only trucks (wins Dakar '88, '94, '95, '98, '99, '01)....
what an amazing car, i would love to see a video on this channel featuring a early Skoda felicia or octavia. i'm in Australia and am currently restoring a skoda s110
These Petrolicious videos were truly priceless
You have an awesome licence plate, Osmiválec :) Greets from Czech Republic!
A man of good taste. Anyone can/should appreciate that.
This guy is a real character, and I mean that in the best way. What a cool shop, house, and lifestyle.
I'm Hungarian and it's nice too see Tatra on the road I'm a teenager and have a huge passion for cars and everything that have wheels I like course Cars are my passion. Love this channel and nice car aswell.
Thanks for this Tatra, Mr. Greenstein. Sincerely, the World
My brother has all Zikmund & Hanzelka books I guess. Beautiful pictures of the world travelled with that stunning Tatra:)
The license plate is a nice little touch, because "OSMIVLC" means V8 engine in Czech. Also the Tatra Museum in Koprivnice is one of the nicest automotive museums I've ever been to.
I bet a Tatra museum IS one of the nicest museums you've been to!
Tatra in America? COOL! I like you, mr.l :) And glad to see also T603 or Škoda Felicia there. My dad´s father had one Tatraplan and my another grandpa was professional driver on Tatra T87, T603 and T613 (and earlier in army, he was driving and reparing Tatra T111 and T128 :D ). We have still logo from his last T603 on our tractor trailer. So we have love for Tatras in our family - and I am glad, that there are people with love forTatras also in America. :)
That is a truly unique and amazing car and the owner is chill.
This numberplate - OSMIVLC = osmiválec = this means V8 engine. Such an iconic car! One of the most beatuful cars ever built. So proud to be from the Czech Republic! Great work with the restauration. Wish you all the best to your amazing hobby.
That car is absolutely beautiful. I have been a car guy since second grade and it wasn't long before I knew about the T87 and its slippery beautiful shape. I'd love to see this in person, but I'd probably totally geek out. I also couldn't help but envy his garage.
We need more people like him in this world!
I respect the approach to cars and things, and love the eccentric Tatra,
That thing is amazing for being 80 years old. Must've been crazy driving that in the 30s
I knew this was going to be a good video from the opening credits. This guy gets it, and thanks for giving us a glimpse into his world.
What a fascinating car. The owner seems like a really cool guy, would be great to drink a beer with him and talk about all of those fantastic machines in his garage and backyard.
And the fact that it IS all about the passion........that is how I feel when fixing or adding an item or servicing my car or a friends car.......It isnt about the $$$, It is ALL about the passion......I feel great passion when I can do a fabulous detailing on the exterior of a car or truck and the owner loves it !!
This is one of those great characters, he could be in a Coen Brothers movie. He should open up a museum, that way he can keep his interesting stuff and share it with others at the same time.
Tatras 77, 77A, 87, 97, 600 tatraplan, 603...all amazing cars. And Hanzelka & Zikmund are my favourite travelers. They continued with T87 from south Africa through South America to Mexico. Mr. Miroslav Zikmund still lives he's 96 now and full of life.
Nice to see "our" Tatra in the good caring hands yet so far from home :).
What he said at the very end..."when I kick the bucket, then somebody else will have it...I won't make any money on it, but that's not what this is about." I'm really liking this guy right now!
That is one of the slickest rides I've ever seen. So cool and I love the fin.
What a refreshing, honest, transparency Mr. Paul Greenstein has regarding his enthusiasm and ownership of these old vehicles from the past, Petrolicious. I bet he would be an absolute pleasure to meet in person. Thank you for sharing. :)
This is such a great guy. Down to earth, passionate, yet calm and thoughtful. A rare and weird Czech WW2 Skoda RSO 4x4 would fit him nicely. He deserves to own one.
Awesome video! The cor is gorgeous and an important piece of history.
What a great story. I really like the look of the Tatra and Mr. Greenstein you are a very Kool guy.
as a Czech, I feel very proud.
Very bizarre car, but is has “something” that makes it special.
the car - the house - you - are a great combination!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!showwww
This video isn't even remotely long enough!! Tatra is very underrated and quite.. forgotten. Thanks for the effort to put this right.
WoW Petroleum thank you for sharing your TATRA, made under 'EasternBloc' and not lame. I notice how well you drive, getting non synchro shift with no drama or noise, Bravo‼️. 🙏
This guy is as unique as his car. I appreciate and find a lot of value to his approach to cars and life. Once again Petro has done their homework.
There is a beautiful silver example of the Tatra 87 on display in the Design Museum (Die Neue Sammlung) in Munich. I had heard of Tatra before but never understood what the fuss was about until I saw the 87. The attention to design detail is incredible, even when compared to modern day cars.
Perfect ending to the video. It's now about what the car is worth. It is about what the car is worth to you.
Hanzelka and Zikmund drove Tatra 87 not only through Africa. They finished Africa leg in Cape Town, then crossed the Atlantic and drove through South and Central America to Mexico. Imagine that! They had no parts replaced driving over 110k km and 44 countries for 3 years (imagine the roads of the time!). The transmission almost died, but they finished the journey and drove Tatra back into Prague. Truly fascinating expedition (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanzelka_and_Zikmund). To me T87 is the most amazing car ever made.
Wooo 0:27 and 0:58 Felicia .. had one of those roadsters in RED (the one here is that blue one below VW). But main motive here is amazing T87 TATRA. Never had a chance to drive it, but it IS amazing piece of car making history. Not just because I was born in Czechoslovakia. I'm glad there are people who cares about those precious gems.
Spot on. A beautiful collection but more importantly an eccentric car guy with the right idea about his toys. Great film!
I like the fact that our cars are also known in foreign country and also as big country as America. These cars are pretty rare even in Czech Republic, it's quite hard to see them here. My cousin works in Tatra even though, that Tatra is now making just big trucks. He owns also two three Tatras, two of them are 613, which are quite new and then older army tanker. I'm really pleased that there are people with heart for old European classic cars. Greetings from Czech Republic.
Another great video about passion, "it is about the heart and soul and not the money". Very admirable. Oh, and I love the car too!
I read somewhere that the Tatra T87 was the inspiration behind the Volkswagen which led to various air-cooled cars like the beatle, the type 2, the karmann ghia, Porsche and was also nicknamed Czechoslovakia's secret weapon by the Germans during their occupation of Czechoslovakia in world war 2, as it handled quite badly if driven wrong [like the old school porsches]. Love what is being done and hopefully a few more cars have been restored since then.
+timthemagicbus666 That´s right, but not only T87, but mainly V570. Porsche with Ledwinka were friends and itˇs known, that Adolf Hitler himself said to Porsche about Tatra, something like "This is what I want". Ledwinka has sued Porsche later and they had agreed, but sadly, Tatra is not so far known as Beetle, however it´s inspired by Tatra design and conception...
@@peterlukac8458 YOU think! I've studied inventors and it's true what they say - about an idea whose time has come. Several people will sometimes think of the same things, and think their ideas "are their own". But people are "given" similar ideas at the same time. Like the invention of the wheel. Everyone thought of that, except the Aztecs! The exception to the rule, then! How about Adolf Hitler (complete with smile on his face) pictured at the motor show, admiring a convertible car similar to the eventual Beetle! Hitler simply used public money to put together great like minded designers, to produce his brainchild! He was a fan of such ideas The car he was intrigued by at the motor show, was designed by Josef Ganz, and didn't look as good as the eventual Beetle, but was the same sort of thing. And STEYR also brought out a similar design, which was pretty good! Check that one out on the internet!
People like this are always awe-inspiring
Delightful in every way.
epic ethos and passion, what a guy, great story
Fantastic restoration.Thanks for sharing
AWESOME! This guy could easily have his own TV show, showing-off his weird stuff and telling bizarre stories. That board game looks creepy.
Finally a Tatra video :D . There are arguments that the Tatra T97 was the "forefather" of the beetle. It started production in 1936 and was forced to shut down when the nazis invaded in 1938 presumably to avoid competition with the beetle. It's a shame Tatra was caught on the "wrong" side of the iron curtain since it would have been interesting to see what they would have come up with. The commie Tatras are easily the nicest eastern block cars as well
Yes thats true. It was a concurrent of Volkswagen/Porsche, it also known some patents/development was stolen by volkswagen and porsche.
There was another concept of "beetle" by tatra, from 1933 - V570... small car with boxer in back... sound familiar?
One of the best indications that Porsche borrowed for his KdF-Wagen (later known as Beetle) from Ledwinka is that he used the same central tube chassis and aircooled rear engine layout as Tatra.
Tatra sued Volkswagen and won the dispute. Unfortunately being located in the eastern block meant diffucult times still ahead, And that is still true even today.
and close the same design as the Tatra V570= Porsche invent nothing, only transform this Tatra in the nazi kdf car
My dad loved these cars. I wish he could have seen this; he was very similar to the owner, a tinkerer/mechanic/scientist with a great appreciation for materials and thoughtful design. Really touching to watch this.
Even a Tatra! Your videos are fantastic... Very nice owner.
This guy IS amazing and I love what he did with the Tatra......the car is gorgeous!!!
GOD bless this guy . I truly feel the same way . Life is live in the now ! Not in the past or the future it is only now .
Beautiful car! That fin on the BACK is amazing, and the third headlight really fits the style, because it is slightly forward of the other two, with the perfect front curving forward, emphasizing this light! A car that is one of the best things money can buy.
Greetings from Dhaka, Bangladesh! This is an amazing video allowing us to experience one of the most rare and least known automobile marques of the world: Tatra! Mr. Paul Greenstein is an amazing personality. It is heart warming to see his affinity with rare, odd and unusual automotive artifacts. This is a highly original car that oozes East European sensibility of the era on a grand scale. I think the Communist conquest of the 50s and 60s completely pushed back the inventiveness and originality that the Czechs/Hungarians could have given us, especially in motoring and aviation. Thanks for posting this Petrolicious! Mr. Greenstein, indeed served the next generation of automotive enthusiasts by restoring this car painstakingly.
Shamim Ehsanul Haque "I think the Communist conquest of the 50s and 60s completely pushed back the inventiveness and originality that the Czechs/Hungarians could have given us, especially in motoring and aviation." Not entirely true since the Cold War Tatras were good too. Enthusiasts in the west even wanted to start importing them but no practical deal could be made. Tatra trucks were world class during this era too, and they won the infamous Dakar endurance rally (then called Paris-Dakar) in the 80's - beating the best western trucks from Mercedes, DAF and MAN no less. This was also at a time there were no limits how much a truck could be modified (they often beat the cars in the desert!) and good engineering and innovation ruled the roost. Czechoslovakia was still in the East Block at this time but that didn't stop their Tatra trucks from proving their worth in the worst imaginable conditions. The problem was that the system prevented many Tatra cars from being made and people wouldn't have been able to afford them anyway so there was little incentive developing them for a market that simply didn't exist. All focus was on military equipment so precious material was earmarked for tanks, planes and cannons and nothing was left for the civilian industry (In East-Germany for instance they couldn't even use steel for car manufacturing since it all was used for tanks). Tatra did make trucks for the military so it's perhaps not strange at all they were well-developed. Jawa are Czech motorcycles and they did well in the Grand Prix Motorcycle racing scene in the 60's, especially considering they had a miniscule budget compared to the British, Italian, German and Japanese brands. Frantisek Stastny missed the 1961 350 cc title with his Jawa by only 6 points. In motocross Jawa won titles. ČZ is another Czech motorcycle brand and they pretty much dominated the mid- to late 60's motocross world championship. So no the inventiveness and originality in Czechoslovakia certainly didn't vanish during the communist era and their success in racing proved it. Considering that they had a fraction of the budget the western brands had it makes their success even more amazing. The static market and a focus on military production was the culprit.
James Shunt Thank you so much for this very informative comment! I did not know that the Czechoslovakians continued to improve their automotive products- Tatra and Jawa in this case- and had been at the top of their game so far as technology and quality went. It is sad that the marketing machinery and budget did not allow them to make them global brands. Interestingly enough, I remember distinctly that in the late 80s there was a Jawa motorcycle distributor in Bangladesh. I think they stopped selling those motorcycle sometime in the early 90s, probably in 1993. This was also the company that imported Skoda cars from Czechoslovakia. A friend of mine owned a Jawa, and I distinctly remember his comment that it was a sturdier and more stable motorbike in comparison to the flimsier Japanese makes that retailed for a higher price. What intrigues me is the design aesthetics and technology that differentiated these products from the run of the mill Japanese or Korean marques. A distinct, often eccentric, yet fresh sensibility were the hallmarks of these brands. And I wish that could be revived in a reliable package! Thank you for your reply.
Shamim Ehsanul Haque You're welcome, and thank you for your comment. I never knew Jawa sold their motorcycles outside Europe. Great observation regarding their products. You put it well sir.
@@jamesshunt5123 They do pretty worldwide. In Idia they were pretty popular.
Tatra of Los Angeles, interesting to see... Greetings from Czech Republic
Fantastic restoration!
True Tatra owner / " custodian " - Fantastic
That wheel in the last shot, had a row of wheel weights covering almost half of the wheel.😮
5:02..an honest to goodness old school door lock..knob..and a real key..and keyhole!!
I love Tatra's they were such amazing cars for their day!!!
Every one of their videos is so amazing and educational about the cars and the people who drive them. I love watching these while I eat my breakfast :)
this guy is the awesomest dude ever!
překrásná! the photographs of 'found state' and the restoration... just wow.
Gotta love this guys attitude:)
such a big piece of nostalgia, great man + great car. greetings from prague
Beautiful character, beautiful car.
When I grow up I wanna be like this dude. As always, fantastic video guys!
Where do you find all these amazing people ? Another fantastic film.
:-))
Great video, awesome guy with a clear philosophy and he sticks to it. I don't know wether the car was black when it was first built, but I don't like it black, what may also be a reason why it's overlooked, like the owner tells in that film. There was very beautiful red also delivered by Tatra - could be a solution. But the restoration and the story to be told - great, again. Thanks for sharing!
Fabulous. Just fabulous.
I love this video, I think it's my favorite, partly because of nostaglia. I worked in NELA, near the Highland Park area for a few months back in '17 and I drove by that house several times! Those cars always got my attention especially the Rambler hardtop. Paul is amazing. Thank you for sharing.
Beautiful car - I love those old Tatras. And let's face it - the Beetle is a high volume mass-produced copy of that. Great guy too.
You should sell "Drive Tastefully" decals that would be fantastic.
Gotta love this guy's attitude. Nice video too.
I love the car and his philosophy.
All the credit to Mr. Greenstein. That's simply amazing how he restored the rusty Tatra T87. The legend amongst Czech cars as well as amongst al the Tatra models hugely popularized by Zikmund and Hanzelka, the czech famous voyagers. I wish you good luck with the restoration of the 1960s Škoda Felicia convertible... This actually my parents' favourite car. So fingers crossed and I'll be proud to show them your next video, hopefully with Felicia on the roads of L.A. :) Thank you so much again for posting this vid.
Beautiful story...
Best yet.
One of those technical works way ahead of it's time.
I hope that 603 and Felicia got restored too!
Beautiful looking car. I've heard of the Tatra T87, but I've never seen one in person. It's an unforgivable shame that it was never sold here in the USA and Canada. I can see it competing against the likes of Volkswagen, Porsche, and possibly Mercedes-Benz. :)
Volkswagen and Porsche brands came way later than these were designed, actually they both copied the Tatras to some extent.
Mr. Greenstein clearly has his poop in a group. The licence plate spelling "eightclndr" in Czech is a wonderful touch.
Love the number plate :)