1934 Jawa 750 "1000 mil československých"

Without question, the premier motorsport event in 1930s Czechoslovakia was the 1000 mil československých—the 1000 Miles of Czechoslovakia. The grueling road race was held only three times, from 1933 to 1935.

At the time, the JAWA factory, which had only produced motorcycles since 1929, was already preparing to enter the automobile market. The company reached an agreement with Auto Union in Chemnitz to manufacture the DKW F2 under license. After several modifications, the car debuted in 1934 as the JAWA 700.

To showcase the capabilities of its new model, JAWA entered the 750 cc class in the 1934 and 1935 races. In addition to enlarging the engine to 750 cm³ and increasing its output to 27 hp, JAWA racing driver Antonín Vitvar designed and built a special body with an elongated rear section and a vertical stabilizing fin to improve directional stability.

The construction of the tail was especially innovative. Presumably seeking to reduce weight even further, Vitvar used tightly stretched fabric in place of sheet metal. The fabric was coated with filler, carefully smoothed, and painted to create a sleek, aerodynamic form.

Vitvar’s design proved remarkably effective. The car reached a top speed of 130 km/h, while its exceptional stability enabled him to carry greater speed through corners than his competitors. His promising run ended prematurely, however, when an engine failure forced him to retire before reaching the finish.

For decades, the car was believed to have been lost. It was eventually rediscovered and painstakingly restored, and it now appears in historic racing events. During the restoration, however, its distinctive rear section was recreated in aluminum rather than using the original fabric-covered construction.

This remarkable JAWA 750 racer is being released in December as a special AutoCult production commissioned for a German supplier. The model will be presented in AutoCult’s distinctive blue “Masterpiece” packaging and produced in the company’s customary limited edition of just 333 examples.