A symbol of East Germany (GDR), nearly 3 million of these cars were produced between 1964 and 1990 by the VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerk Zwickau (AWZ) factories. The 601 was the first Trabant model to be exported outside the GDR. Countries in the Communist bloc adopted it: Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Romania, and Bulgaria. Only the USSR never imported the Trabant, likely to protect its domestic automakers.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the world discovered Eastern Europe and its iconic car, the Trabant (“satellite” in German). A distant descendant of pre-war German DKW cars, it was still equipped with a rugged, air-cooled, two-cylinder, two-stroke engine. Its body is made of duroplast, a type of plastic that is corrosion-resistant and virtually indestructible. However, its finish, comfort, and safety are nonexistent. Technically outclassed by Western brands (BMW, Volkswagen…), it was abandoned en masse, a symbol of a bygone era.

Owning a car in the GDR is a privilege! Only those recognized by the regime can buy a new car. In the 1980s, a “Trabi” cost two years’ salary for a skilled worker and had a delivery time of nearly 10 years. It was available in only one, two, or three colors, depending on the year.

• Engine: 2-cylinder - 594 cm3.
• Transmission: 4-speed manual.
• Body: Duroplast, a thermosetting material composed of phenol and cotton fibers.
• Top speed: 68 mph