New Trabant One Step Closer to Reality

by Frank Williams

Published: January 29th, 2008

As we mentioned last September, Herpa secured the rights to the Trabant name. Rumor had it that the toy manufacturer was considering reviving what we termed the "plastic-bodied, smoke-spewing, two-stroke, two-cylinder rolling testimonial to everything that was wrong with communist East Germany." Well, it looks like Herpa's actually going to do it. Worldcarfans reports that Herpa is partnering with specialty car manufacturer IndiKar to form an initiative called "newTrabi." The plan's originator, Klaus Schindler, hopes to incorporate "the wishes and expectations of the cult car's many enthusiastic fans… in the development." They'll debut a 1/87 scale model of the newTrabi in February, shooting for a full-scale prototype for the IAA in 2009. Again we have to ask, WTH are they thinking? Perhaps our European readers would like to comment on the possible market for a machine with a well-earned reputation for being the worst car ever produced by hand of man.

Frank Williams

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4 of 13 comments

Anonymous on Jan 29, 2008
Busbodger : January 29th, 2008 at 6:54 pm Plain jane will be the next cool… All the options you can want in a car can be bought later and added. How far do you go in a day? I go about 7 miles each way. Why would I want to wear out a $30K car doing that trip? What I need (and want) is a mid-80s Rabbit with a/c and power brakes. Make it a convertible and it’s a fun ride for running around with my wife and kids on the weekends. Add cruise control and it’s good for a couple hundred miles. I think the key phrase is get you to work. I don't recall hearing that Trabants had a stellar reputation for reliability (or for that matter comfort, luxury, handling, acceleration, aesthetics, or environmental friendliness).

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Storminvormin on Jan 30, 2008

As a perspective customer, I hope to find my name on Schindler's list (couldn't resist).

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Madcynic on Jan 30, 2008
I think the key phrase is get you to work. I don’t recall hearing that Trabants had a stellar reputation for reliability (or for that matter comfort, luxury, handling, acceleration, aesthetics, or environmental friendliness). Well, I dunno about that. The Trabant my dad had was pretty damn reliable. Had its second engine in when we got it, and despite a few crashes and the occasional running out of gas (no warning light...), I don't recall it being unreliable at all. And tbh: Who cares about comfort, luxury and handling if the alternative is NO car?

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Fallout11 on Jan 31, 2008

There are thousands of Trabants built 25 and 30 years ago still riding around on the roads. With the exception of the original VW bug, few vehicles compare. From Argentina to Thailand, these babies will sell, and in copious quantities (if/when the price is right).

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