Page 53 - Jan2023

To get a real feel for what the Trabant
is about and what a miracle of
engineering, it was, considering the
environment in which it was built, be
sure you watch the video below.
Although the Trabi is panned as
being a loud, slow, car with terrible
reliability and a poor design, you
have to consider the limitations that
were placed on its production.
Built from 1957 through 1991, in 30
years there were no major changes
made to the Trabi. 3.7 million of them
were produced but because the
factory was a state run monopoly, it
took 10 years waiting on a list to
acquire one.
People in the West got their first real
look at the cars when they streamed
across the border after the Berlin
Wall fell.

Post war, German engineers on
either side of the border remained
remarkable technicians with a will to
"make it work" and to "make it last."

53