It was developed with an aim to offer a reliable commercial car at the lowest possible cost.

This was a four stroke, spark ignition, air cooled, single-cylinder petrol engine based on that of the Tatra 12 (basically being a Tatra 12 engine cut in half).

The engine had a power output of 5 kW (7 PS; 7 hp) at 2,501 rpm with a displacement of 529 cc (32 cu in).

[1] The central backbone tube chassis is supported by a stiff front axle taken from a Tatra 30, while the engine and transmission box are bolted to the rear end.

The freight version uses the central chassis tube as an exhaust muffler, while the personal motor car version has an extra standard exhaust muffler.