Bring a Trailer is always good for finding some unique gems, but it’s a hell of a coincidence that two auctioneers on opposite sides of the United States ran back-to-back auctions for vehicles used by the Czechoslovak military.

From April 15 to 22, Virginia-based mosehring hosted an auction on the site for a 1959 Tatra OT-810. A day after the Tatra was won by Gushty for $43,250, Tomcat54 in California primed the gavel for a 1963 M53/59 Praga. The latter auction concluded on Thursday, but failed to meet the reserve; bsdaemon placed the highest bid prior to closure at $17,427.

The Tatra OT-810 is an armored personnel carrier based on the Sd.Kfz. 251 used by Nazi Germany during World War II. Produced from 1958 to 1962 by Podpolianske strojárne in Detva (now PPS Group), it replaced the original German 251s in the Czechoslovak People’s Army motor pool. However, the OT-810 proved to be unpopular among troops, deemed unfit for the times and quickly outclassed by other APCs like the OT-62 TOPAS and OT-64 SKOT. It was eventually phased out and decommissioned, with barely 1,500 being made in total.

While not built by Tatra Motors, the truck manufacturer is the OT-810’s namesake thanks to its Tatra T-928-3 air-cooled diesel V8 engine. The motor produces 122 horsepower, sending it to the rear axle with a four-speed manual transmission. The rear brakes operate independently so that the treaded tracks could be steered, while the front rolls along on 32-inch Barum bias-ply tires. The suspension consists of a transverse leaf spring setup on the front and a rear torsion bar system at the back. Compared to the 251, the OT-810 has more robust armor plating while the 251 used a 99-hp six-cylinder Maybach HL42 engine.

The OT-810 that was auctioned off on BaT was decommissioned in the 1980s and brought to the United Kingdom, then moved to the United States the following decade. High-temperature paint was applied to the mufflers by a museum for preservation even though diesel engines don’t run as high of an overheating risk.

“Should the winner of this auction want (to) invade Russia, this Tatra will be a welcome addition,” one user quipped.

The Praga PLDvK vz. 53/59 was developed by Zbrojovka Vsetín around the same time as the OT-810 but continued to be made until 1978. Called “Ještěrka” (“Lizard”), it is a six-wheeled self-propelled anti-aircraft gun built on a Praga V3S chassis with a pair of 30-millimeter ZK453 autocannons at the back. Several of these saw action in conflicts like the Gulf War and Yugoslavia, and remains in use today by Serbia whereas the Czech Republic and Slovakia have since retired it.

According to Tomcat54, this particular Praga was originally going to be used as a prop in the 2022 hit film Top Gun: Maverick. It was acquired in 2025.

The Lizard also uses an air-cooled Tatra diesel inline-six engine with a four-speed manual. The guns, of course, were demilitarized though the telescopic sight remains in place and the rear-mounted turret still operates perfectly.

“This Praga M53/59 is one of those vehicles that is hard to fully appreciate until you are standing next to it,” the seller stated. “It is massive, loud, mechanical, intimidating, and absolutely unlike anything else you are going to see at a cars and coffee. The armored bodywork, 6×6 setup, portal axles, rear turret, and air-cooled Tatra diesel make it a seriously unique piece of Cold War military history. As far as I know there are very few of these in the U.S., as in less than 10. I have a contact in the Czech Republic who can get any parts needed for it, as they are built off of the same chassis as the Praga V3S Truck!”

Featured image credit: mosehring, Tomcat54