The 601 series was the third-generation Trabant, believe it or not, and they were made from 1963 to 1990! This 1978 Trabant 601 S is listed on eBay with an opening bid of $3,250 and a Buy It Now price of $3,750. It’s in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida so you could make a vacation out of picking it up. This is the wagon or “universal” version; much cooler and more rare than the sedan. This is the model that I would want, especially if it had the camping setup.. The Trabant name, German for “satellite”, was a reference to Sputnik.

There are no photos of the rear of this car which is unfortunate, I think that it’s the best angle to show off the fins, so so speak. Here is what the rear of this car would look like. The “S” version is a special edition that had such things as fog lights, a rear white light, and an odometer. I don’t know if this one is actually an “S” version or not, I don’t see either fog lights or a rear white light as seen on this rear view of a different car. This may be a regular, non-S Trabant, although it has an odometer; confusing.

2,818,547 Trabant 601s were produced by VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwickau in Zwickau, Saxony, Germany and most of them looked exactly the same; good luck finding yours in the store parking lot. Of course, you’re supposed to be working so you shouldn’t be at a store; ever. You are being watched, now get back to work!

This particular 601 was supposedly a weekend car for its former Hungarian owner so that probably explains the relatively low mileage of just under 30,000 miles. This car is said to have some surfaces that have oxidation, according to the seller, “BUT ABSOLUTELY NO MAJOR RUST or holes on the frame or body.” Of course, we know that these aren’t metal body panels so there won’t be any rust on them. The bodies of these cars are made of a material called Duroplast, a hard plastic made from recycled cotton waste from the Soviet Union and resins, making at least the body of this car somewhat earth-friendly to offset the horribly-polluting 2-cycle engine and, no doubt, the horribly-polluting factory itself.

Speaking of that 2-cycle engine, here it is! Ain’t she a beaut? This 600cc, air-cooled 2-popper looks like it’s been detailed (i.e., sprayed with something to make it shiny) and is said to run good with about 26hp on tap. Here is a YouTube video of this car in action. Da! I love 2-cycle vehicles, they’re so unusual. You’ll have to mix your own oil with the gas at each fill-up on this car as there was no oil-injection system.

Yes, that’s the gas tank sitting there above the engine, there also is no fuel pump on these cars. It just adds to the interesting ownership experience, in my opinion. Everyone has those fancy fuel pumps these days; we’re all getting soft, comrade! Just try not to hit anything head-on. The owner says that this car runs good and it sounds and looks like it does from the video. Everything is original here other than a new six-volt battery. Yes, these are six-volt vehicles. It would be really run to own one of these cars, I mean, look at these happy Trabant owners enjoying their open-top 601 sedan!

There is no mention why there are seat covers on here, maybe because the car is in Florida and they’re easier, sweat-wise, than vinyl seats would be. Some models had fabric seats but there’s no telling what’s under there. All is original here, supposedly, but hopefully the seat covers and steering wheel cover are just there to protect them from wear instead of covering up excessive wear. This car has a cool Videoton radio, too!

And, this is where you’ll haul your bread home after waiting in line for three hours. It looks good back there, nyet? Talk about a car that would stand out more than a Ferrari at a Cars and Coffee gathering. I would rather have something like this than most Ferraris, just because I like unusual, small vehicles. And, coincidentally, somewhat like new Ferraris, used Trabants were often times sold for more than new ones were because the waiting time was so long for a new Trabant. Are you on board with owning a Trabant or do you prefer to not peek behind the ol’ Iron Curtain?