Sitting in the factory racing car with kind permission of the responsible head of the racing division. Without his friendliness and appreciation of our honest interest in the factory we couldn't make this visit. Thank you, once again!
The Trabant /trəˈbɑːnt/ is a car that was produced in East Germany. It was the most common vehicle in East Germany, and was also exported to countries both inside and outside the communist bloc. The main selling points was that it had room for four adults and luggage in a compact, light and durable shell; it was fast (when introduced); and it was durable.
The name, meaning 'satellite' or 'companion ' in German, was inspired by Soviet Sputnik.[5] The cars are often referred to as the Trabbi or Trabi, pronounced /ˈtrɑːbi/ trah-bee in English.
Due to the long waiting period between ordering a Trabant and actually taking delivery (in some cases years passed as scarce materials were obtained), people who finally received one treated the car gently and were meticulous in maintaining and repairing it. The lifespan of an average Trabant was 28 years.[6] Used Trabants would often fetch a higher price than new ones, as the former were available immediately, while the latter required the infamous long wait.