"If ever an industrial paradigm was needed to illustrate the folly of central planning, then, surely, the Trabant is it. A terrible car made out of old pants and foisted upon people who had no real choice."
- James May on the Trabant
The Trabant 601 was a car built by East German car manufacturer VEB Sachsenring, being the third model in the "Trabant" (sometimes nicknamed the "Trabi") range after the 500 and 600 models. It is the best-known model of the Trabant cars and was the most common vehicle in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) at the time, being in production for 26 years until it was replaced by the Trabant 1.1 in the early 90s, which was the last car in the Trabant range before it was discontinued following the reunification of Germany. The Trabant is considered to be East Germany's answer to West Germany's "people's car", the Volkswagen Beetle. Numerous versions of the Trabant were made, ranging from the standard model to the DeLuxe and Kübel models, the latter of which was a Jeep version with no doors.
The bodywork of the Trabant cars was made from duroplast, a type of plastic made from recycled cotton waste and phenol resin, due to East Germany regularly encountering shortages of steel. Duroplast made the Trabants rustproof, and the cars could theoretically last for over 25 years, longer than many production cars from other manufacturers. However, the duroplast material didn't biodegrade and was toxic if burned.
Trabant cars were robust, functional and repair-friendly, however, they were also notorious for being underpowered, as it had a two-stroke engine that only made 26 BHP with a top speed of 62 mph, its exhaust fumes causing lots of pollution, and the car's duroplast body being very difficult to dispose of properly. With that said, the Trabi is considered to be a national symbol of East Germany and breaking through the Berlin Wall in 1989. After the reunification of Germany, Trabant cars became increasingly popular among car collectors.
Appearances[]
- In Series 12, Episode 6 of Top Gear, the Trabant 601 was briefly shown during a segment focusing on Communist-made cars.
- In Series 1, Episode 1 of James May's Cars of the People, James reviews the Trabant 601 and discusses the car's role in the fall of the Berlin Wall.