Praga Hostivař
Praga Hostivar is a Czechoslovakian company founded in 1907 in the city of Prague, to build motor cars. It was collaboration between Frantisek Ringhoffer and the First Czech-Moravian Machine Factory. The company’s first six cars were built under licence from the Italian company of Izotta Fraschini. In 1909 the trade name ‘Praga’ was adopted and it produced passenger cars licensed by a French automobile.
The history of PRAGA Hostivař has of two separate companies, under the brand names Praga Inc., doing business in the automotive industry and TECHNOMETRA Praha as, doing business in the hydraulics and air elements. As a result of privatization and massive changes in all areas of industry in the Czech republic, the production bases and programmes of the two companies were linked in 1998, and thereby further development of a common histrory of “Pragovsky” dates from 1907 and “TECHNOMETRA” from 1908.
Till 1913, the company had produced trucks (Praga “V”), passenger cars “Mignon”, luxury cars (Praga “Grand”) and motor plows (Praga “K”). In the year 1913, Praga sold its own license to RABA carmaker for the production of Praga “Grand”. They started producing medium sized passenger cars, Praga “Alfa”.
But during the World War, its production of passenger cars stopped and the factory moved away from automobile manufacture toward military production. They developed hydraulic transmission in the year 1916 and went on to produce many trucks.
Soon after the war, the company began to restore. It invented its own fuel called “Pragoline” which was half cheaper than gasoline.
Years 1919 through 1940 was the boom period of the company. Workshops and machinery were modernized and new sales network was built. Engine lubrication, balloon tires, central chassis lubrication, thermostat, seven-and eight-speed transmissions for trucks, etc were introduced by the company. Praga made remarkable achievements in international sports competitions as well.
The production of cars again got stopped during the World War II. The production program got narrowed to tank engines and transmissions. In 1945, the aerial bombardment destroyed 90% of the production plant. Praga fell under Communist rule, got nationalised, and production got concentrated on trucks, heavy machinery and military equipment.
In the 1950s, the company started production of the fuel and air and hydraulic equipment for aircrafts. 1958 saw the emergence of TECHNOMATRA as the head of the company and thus began the civilian production of hydraulics.
1964 was the year in which the last car “Praga V3S” left the assembly line. Later on, the production shifted to gear boxes, buses, transmissions for trucks and tractors. In 1985, the company produced the first sample of universal vehicle UV 100 and UV 120. Praga received the status of state enterprise in the year 1990 and in 92, it became a stock company.
Later, the factory began production of off-road machines. Its production ceased in 2003, but the engineering department managed to develop a great, sturdy four-stroke single engine and a reasonably competitive enduro motor cycle. It performed in cross enduro in the year 1996. In its short life, Praga Motorcycles was able to compete with world class motorcycles such as CZ and Jawa. In 2004, Praga Hostivař involved in the development and production of prototype vehicles for the military.
Praga had built a number of engines, gearboxes and hydraulic machinery in 2007. Their heavy duty gearboxes have consistently performed well in the World Truck Trail Competitions.
- Devu Narayanan
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