HANZMUND V8

Hanzmund V8 represents the second generation of legendary aerodynamic Czechoslovak luxury cars. Equipped with an unique airship-inspired body, a robust backbone chassis, an air-cooled 3-litre V8 engine in the back and a fully-independent suspension, the Hanzmund V8 was one of the most advanced and fastest production cars between 1936 and 1950. Back in time, when most cars topped 80-100 kph, this futuristic sedan was able to travel up to 160 kph.

The secret weapon
During the war, the factory was seized by Germany. The fast and comfortable car soon became popular among high ranked Nazi officers. With only 38% of mass in the front, the steering was light cars were agile on rough country roads, but driving on a limit required some serious driving skills. The rear swing axle was prone to lift-off over-steer and the weight distribution did the rest. It is said, that the tail-happy car killed more high-ranked Nazi officers than combat, during the first weeks of war.

Around the world
After the war, the famous Czechoslovak adventurers Hanzelka and Zikmund driven one of these through the whole Africa and Latin America between 1947 and 1950. The car proved to be extremely durable in wastelands and wilderness. It traveled with ease, despite being twice overloaded.

Spreading fear again
In 1948 the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia seized all the power in the country and the car became popular among high ranked communists. The iconic design was misused to spread fear once again.

Heritage
The car inspired one of the most successful German people's cars and its heritage is still alive in the sportscars such as FZ50. It was later replaced by a better-balanced Valuta V8

Driving tips
Keep in mind, that it is a 1930s car and it does not have a feedback of a modern car. Only the third and fourth gears are synchronized, so do not forget to double-clutch when downshifting to the second. The mod is kept as realistic as possible and it is not easy to drive on a limit. Early braking and little throttle through the whole corner should be enough to stay out of trouble during a high-speed cornering. The right tire pressures are crucial.

Realism note
Due to the fully independent suspension, this is one of a few 1930s cars which can be simulated in the LFS, without some rough approximations of solid axles. The suspension is stiffer to reproduce a non-linearity of a transverse leaf springing. Using modern radial tires, the car can be easily flipped over. Therefore there are two stock setups with different approximations of the original bias-ply tires. The "adventure" setup uses knobbly tires, while the "classic" setup uses overinflated road tires. The engine had to be downsized to keep realistic torque. To keep realism of the mod, please avoid camber adjustments on the rear axle when creating personal setups.