By 1991, the Cold War was, for all intents and purposes, over, at least compared to the previous four decades of hiding under your school desks. Not to mention the Berlin Wall had recently been dismantled and people were free to travel where they hadn’t been as free to travel for a couple of decades. The Trabant traveled right along with those changes and the 1991 Trabant 1.1 is considered the rarest model. The seller has it posted here on craigslist in Dawsonville, Georgia and they’re asking $12,000. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Rocco B. for the tip!
Just over 39,000 Trabant 1.1s were made in 1990 and 1991, a very truncated manufacturing timeframe, almost as truncated as an 11-foot car is. For one year, May of 1990 to April of 1991, East German-based and state-owned VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwickau made the final version of this infamous line of cars, a two-door sedan (saloon/limousine) along with a very cool two-door wagon, known as an estate, or “Universal.” They also made a doorless variety somewhat like a Fiat Jolly called a Tramp.
This car appears in perfect condition and the seller says it was imported from Poland, where, coincidentally, most of the 1.1-series cars were exported, along with some going to Hungary. They didn’t do too well in Germany as by this time there were really nice cars available. The first model was the Trabant P 50 in 1957, then came the 600 in 1962 followed by the 601 in 1964. They were made until the beginning of 1990, and then the Trabant 1.1 lasted a year after that.
As expected, the interior looks perfect. You already know these weren’t fancy cars and the build quality and quality of materials weren’t really up to Western standards. The body panels were made of a material known as duroplast, a composite resin plastic. That’s why you’ll never see a rusty Trabant, at least above the steel frame. The seller included a range of photos but none of the back seating area, which I’m assuming looks as nice as the front does.
The engine is a VW-based “Barcas” SOHC water-cooled (I know!) inline-four, just over 1 liter in size and this one looks cleaner and more modern than some early Trabant engines. With around 40 horsepower, it isn’t a screamer but it isn’t a two-stroke as with older Trabants. The seller says it needs carburetor work as it’s running too rich and stalling out. Otherwise, it’s said to run and drive well. Have any of you owned or driven a Trabant?
Cool write up!!! I guarantee you…… You WILL be the only with one of these at a cars and coffee. Ill do ya one better, no crowds around the Mustangs and Camaros, it’ll be around this. This is mint, unbelievable how clean it is for its age.
Buy the car, head to Dawsonville to pick up the car and then have lunch with Chase and Bill Elliott. What could be better?
It is practically fiberglass car, sop the only parts that can rust are the chassis
You need to see the YouTube video about the Trabant assembly line.
Pretty cool but I think for the Complete Trabant Experience you need an earlier model with the 2-stroke engine!
I would never put the words “Trabant” and “Limousine” together.
“Limousine” is just the German term for a regular sedan/saloon/berline/berlina.
An oxymoron in my book.
Well clearly this needs an LS swap!
Or maybe just a Briggs and Stratton….
All joking aside, it’s kind of cool looking. And probably the best one left in the world.
To my knowledge, even with the 25 year import rule, Trabants are NOT street legal in the United States. Someone please correct me if I’m wrong.
As far as a 25 year old imported car being “street legal” the law is pretty clear, from a Federal standpoint – the car is exempt from EPA and DOT requirements which means they won’t stop you from registering the car. It’s at the state level you can run into problems. Some states such as California will require anything 1975 and newer to pass their smog requirements before it can be registered. There are parts of Oregon that are just as strict as well, and probably other states. I lived in rural Oregon that was exempt from these strictures though so I bought quite a few Citroen 2CVs and Austin Minis that owners gave up trying to get registered in California and resold them to people who lived where they didn’t have to contend with such rules. Where I live in Arizona I would have no problem licensing and driving this car so long as it was insured as a collector car.
I live in New Mexico, where only Bernalillo County, home to Albuquerque, requires any kind of emissions testing (due to the concentration of vehicles there, I believe). The rest of the state is exempt.
A really interesting video disc is “Car for a Dollar” done by a Canadian team that researched the development of the car.
The E German engineers were almost shutdown by Commie Mgmmt when they were told they wouldn’t get any steel for the body, so they literally invented their own version of fiberglass! And the story behind that material is amazing – so google that dvd and learn about it!
Even tho these ringadings were put in dumpsters when the wall came down, now there are clubs all over Europe restoring the Trabbies!
Where did you find “Car for a dollar”? I looked for it after reading this article: https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a63109659/international-spy-museum-18th-annual-parade-of-trabants/ but I couldn’t find it anywhere.
The driving lights, wheels, blackout treatment on the window cranks and door pulls and sport steering wheel clearly identify this vehicle as a Trabant 1.1 GT. Sponsored by Checkpoint Charley, they dominated the Brandenburg Series for years.
There’s a good book about Trabant called “Duroplast In Pastel Colours”.
I think that this was the Polo engine, so should pass emissions stuff (VW are famous/infamous for it…).
There are things about the wording of the ad that come off as odd and would lead one to believe that all is not as it seems here. If interested, I’d have to see it and all its paperwork in person before money would go anywhere.
The ad states the car was titled in Georgia US. I’m glad, I was thinking Georgia USSR, That’s a load off.
Ha!
Think of the fun you could have with this if you swapped in a more recent Honda VTEC motor and tranny and complete front subframe. It would be an absolute rocket and NOBODY would see it coming. Talk about the ultimate sleeper… The possibilities are endless…
Thanks for not disappointing! I knew there would be at least one person wanting to rip the engine out and put in something else. It’s a sickness here on BF.
You gotta love how time mellows the tastes of car guys. These things were exhibit 1 of how dysfunctional the Soviets were. Now? There’s a club for fans of the evil little critter.
Derek, yes, I think you’re right…that was the first thing I thought looking at the photo of the engine, the VW Polo “1050” motor (1043cc to be exact?) I had one years ago as a kid.
I do kind of agree with other commenters, that if I was in the market for a Trabant as a novelty classic, I think I’d want the authentic two-stroke version for the full experience. I think you have to take this car for what it is, it’s kind of an iconic model – even if for all the wrong reasons. sort of “so crappy and crude that its cool”. Pretty useless car on the modern open road, but if you lived in an urban/suburban setting where you didn’t need to go very far or fast, might be fun.
Older Trabant…
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/305964908054
It looks like the seller has lowered the asking price by 11908.60 Czech Koruna ($500) to $11,500.