Trabant was a famous automobile from Sachsenring, a company at the former East Germany. The most popular vehicle in former communist countries, Trabant cars had a bad reputation but were quite reliable. The Trabant (meaning "escort" in German) is still affectionately regarded by many. The cars themselves are often referred to as the "Trabbi " or "Trabi," pronounced with a short a.
People in Eastern European countries would join a waiting list to obtain this car, and it could be many years before their vehicle would be available for purchase.
The Trabant was the first German small car with a plastic body. The material was Duroplast, containing resin, strengthened by wool or cotton. It was cheap to manufacture and helped the GDR to avoid expensive steel imports but did not provide much crash protection, although in crash tests it has actually proven to be superior to some small hatchbacks. An unsubstantiated rumor claims that, because rats liked to chew the car's shell, rat poison was mixed with the shell's resin, which was later removed after the manufacturer realized the possible health hazard.
The engine was a small two stroke engine with two cylinders giving the vehicle modest performance. At the end of production it delivered 25 horsepower (19 kW) out of about 600 cc displacement. The car took 21 seconds to go from 0 to 100 km/h and the top speed was 112 km/h. The main problem with this engine was the smoky exhaust and the pollution it produced.
The Trabant factories grew from the factories of other German manufacturers, closed after World War II. After producing cars under the name of AWZ (Auto-Werke Zwickau), the name Trabant was used for the first time in 1957, after launching the Trabant P 50 model. This was originally meant as a three wheeled covered motorbike. It was only converted to a car in its final design.
Later, a Volkswagen Polo engine replaced the elderly two stroke one. This came as many owners were already replacing the initial engine with that of a Fiat 128.
After the 1989 Wende and later reunification of the two Germanies, the Trabant factories got into financial trouble, and closed in 1991. Although Trabants had been exported from East Germany, they became well known in the West after the fall of the Berlin Wall when many were abandoned by their eastern owners after migrating west. News reports inaccurately described them as having cardboard bodies. In the early 90s it was possible to buy a Trabant for as little as a few marks, and many were given away. Later, as they became rarer, prices recovered, but they remain very cheap cars.
In the 1990s, the Trabant became suddenly famous when it upset the famous "A Class" by Mercedes-Benz while performing the common "Moose test" (a sort of slalom with small obstacles on the course). The Trabant perfectly passed the test. Mercedes had to deal with the embarrassment, while the Trabant received unexpected praise.
Since Trabants are so inexpensive to buy, they have been used in rallies.
Trivia
The rock group U2 used Trabants as props on their "Zoo TV" tour, including several vehicles suspended from the ceilings of concert halls.
Models
- Trabant 500
- Trabant P60
- Trabant 601
See also:
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