Abstract
The present contribution is based on archival research undertaken at the Parisian Fondation Le Corbusier as well as on information from accessible sources in Czech archives. My own research into the subject primarily derives from the tenacity with which Le Corbusier tried to find cooperation with industrial companies and entrepreneurs in Czechoslovakia.
While the management of Fiat at least sent the renowned architect a letter of refusal, no reaction was ever forthcoming from Czechoslovakia. Consequently, it is worth having a closer look at the importance of the automobile in the oeuvre of Le Corbusier, how his design could have influenced the development of a motorized society in Europe, and what his project of the "voiture minimum" has in common with the Tatra 570, the Volkswagen 30 (the later "Beetle") and the Citröen 2CV.
And in addition: what this story means for the history of interwar Czech architecture.