The Slovak bullet train was introduced in 1936 as a result of cooperation between the Tatra car manufacturer and inventor Josef Sousedík. The Ministry of Railways ordered two express motor cars to connect Prague with Bratislava and Brno in record time.

The main problem of the project was the efficient transmission of engine power to the wheels. Sousedík solved this task with his patented system, which combined electrical and mechanical transmission. In practice, this meant that the electric engine assisted in starting. Thanks to it, the train had a huge starting torque and was able to start smoothly even with a high load. Once it reached a higher speed, the power was transferred to a purely mechanical transmission, which allowed it to reach speeds of up to 130 km/h.

Thanks to this solution, the Slovak bullet train accelerated from zero to 100 km/h in just two minutes, which was absolutely exceptional for its time. Likewise, the braking system with disc brakes was among the world's best - the train was able to stop from more than 100 km/h in relatively short distances.

The journey times were astonishing. Originally 4 hours and 51 minutes from Bratislava to Prague, later even only 4 hours and 18 minutes. This meant that the Slovenská strela outperformed the steam express trains of the time by more than an hour. The car was also very comfortable, quiet and modernly designed. For the public, it became a symbol of speed, elegance and technical sophistication of Czechoslovakia.

The legendary motor train car Slovenská strela, car M 290.002, is a national cultural monument. The last time the Slovenská strela was on the railway line was in 1960. In 2018-2021, it underwent an expensive restoration and is exhibited in a special depository of the Tatra Truck Museum in Kopřivnice.