Development began in 1968 to replace the then outdated Tatra 603. The first prototypes were manufactured in 1969 by the Italian design company Carrozzeria Alfredo Vignale using preliminary designs from Czechoslovak designers. The prototype was first shown at an exhibition in 1971. The configuration of two sides of the body: a sedan and a 2-door coupe, the latter was abandoned in the future. Serial production began at the branch of the Tatra plant in the city of Pribor only in 1974 due to the elimination of identified design defects, as well as insufficient funding.First of all, this car was intended for members of party and government bodies of Czechoslovakia and other socialist countries, as well as the directorate of large enterprises. Also, a batch of these cars was sold in the USSR for the needs of the KGB, service in the police of large cities and servicing middle-ranking nomenklatura, which was no longer satisfied with the comfort and status of the Volga GAZ-24, but did not yet have the opportunity to get a service Chaika or ZIL " The car was also well known in the West, where a certain number of copies were sold (unlike the Tatra-603, which was exported in limited quantities only to socialist countries).
The assembly of the Tatras was manual and of exceptional quality, and the scale of production was relatively small (a little more than 11 thousand copies were assembled over the entire period, the annual production never exceeded 1000 pieces).
The layout of the 613 model, like the Tatra 603, is rear-engine, but the air-cooled V8 was located not behind, but above the rear axle (essentially a layout intermediate between rear- and mid-engine), which made it possible to achieve almost ideal distribution vehicle mass along the axles - 45% of the mass was on the front axle, and, accordingly, 55% on the rear axle. Thanks to this, the Tatra 613 has become a big step forward compared to the previous model in terms of handling, stability and safety. Other innovations include the presence of an autonomous gasoline heater.
Production continued until 1996, during which time the model underwent 4 modifications of the basic version, the third of which - "Tatra-613-3" in 1985 - underwent restyling: chrome bumpers gave way to plastic ones, turn signals and tail lights increased in size, and headlights light steel of different diameters.
Although the Tatra-613, like its post-war predecessors, was not intended for sale to private individuals, nevertheless, unlike the USSR, those wishing to could purchase them (like any other cars and mechanisms, including trucks and buses) after decommissioning the first owners. The list price of the Tatra 613 car in Czechoslovakia in 1977-1978 was 284,000 crowns