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First the New Beetle. Then the new MINI. Now the new Trabant. Yep, you read that right. Reuters reports that the plastic-bodied, smoke-spewing, two-stroke, two-cylinder rolling testimonial to everything that was wrong with communist East Germany is ready to stage a comeback. Or at least, that's what Herpa, a Bavarian company that manufactures miniature vehicles, is hoping. The company bought the rights to the name with visions of building an updated version of the car with a modern powertrain– possibly even a version with a BMW engine(!). They're planning an initial run of 5k Trabis, once they find someone to build them. The only question we have is… why? Perhaps one of our German readers can enlighten us.
19 Comments on “Coming Soon: The All-New Trabant!...”
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Well, I’d say it’s for all the same reasons that there is a MINI and a New Beetle. Nostalgia.
However, I do have my doubts as to the success. While a revival seems a generally not too bad idea, the price tag they put on the vehicle will prevent it from becoming widespread enough to profit from a “cult” standing, I think.
If I had a choice, I’d buy myself 5 vintage models for that money ;)
But maybe one should wait till they reveal their 1:10 scale model at IAA next week, though I’m not holding my breath for this one.
For many people the Trabi is a cultural icon. Just as for any other car, there are people with memories of first dates, great road trips and lovable uncles who had one. Pretty much the same range of reasons for any nostalgia trip.
The original VW bug was a marginal car as well, yet millions have fond memories of them. When plans were announced in Germany to remake the Kafer many German’s thought the company had lost it’s mind.
Long live the Trabi!
It’s better that Herpa call their cars Trabants. If they called them Herpies, I don’t think they would sell well in western markets.
Let me apologize in advance for that last comment… So sorry.
William – Don’t worry, we were all thinking it.
Agreed – we all thought it! =)
Ha ha… reminds me an old USSR joke:
A Soviet man decides that he wants to own a car. So for years he works and save his Rubles under his mattress until he finally saves up enough to buy his car. So he takes his money down to the Soviet Car Factory #1, goes to the sales desk, and plops his suitcase of Rubles on the desk.
“I’d like to buy a car” he announces to the clerk.
The clerk slowly counts the money and then hands the man a receipt. “Thank you. You car will be ready on the 15th of March, 1987”.
“Will that be in the morning or afternoon?” the man asks the clerk.
“What?!?” the clerk asks. “That is over 5 years from now. Why on earth would it matter what time of day it is ready?”
“Because the is the day the plumber is scheduled to show up” he answers.
You mean like Herpies, the Love Bug?
Now that’s funny!!!
But I disagree with jthorner that the Old Beetle was marginal. The old Beetle was extremely practical and durable for its day and age–economical, very easy to fix, goes in the snow, etc. And compared to the American land yaghts of the ’50s and ’60s, it was a very responsive, fun to drive car.
The irony of the new beetle is that where the old beetle was an eminently practical car, the new beetle is nothing but a fashion statement. And I think the old Beetle looked better.
I suppose the New Trabi will have a proper engine and all, but I hope it includes a little smoke generator. Rig up a small oil tank that drips into the exhaust pipe. Push a switch on the dash and poof-sniff-cough-cough-hack-wheeze! All of a sudden you’re back in Karl-Marx-Stadt c. 1983.
@David Holzman:
I agree with your assessment re the new beetle. I am pretty sure that’s what this new Trabant will end up as, as well. Especially considering the price. I still can’t see how they justify that price tag on such a small vehicle…
@slowlane: You’d have to supplement the smoke machine with a two-stroke-engine-noise generator for the real feeling. My dad used to have a Trabant back in 1986, poor thing died on us on the Autobahn in 91. Had its second engine in when we got it, but it was a reliable little car, gotta admit that. We even once lost our wheel caps in a right turn…what car can you do that with nowadays?
I think it’s more likely these would compete with the japanese Kei cars, assuming they put 660cc gas or small desiel in them.
I remember seeing some of those in Prague when I went back in 93. They were all parked though, come to think of it I only saw 2-3 taxis in motion the 2 days I was there, really weird. I think it could be decent looking with just a little bit of window dressing on that classic look, reminds me of a mini ’55 Chevy from the front. I wonder what the power train will look like, could be fun with motorcycle sourced 2 or 3 cylinder.
I have traveled in the old Trabant many times and I knew many people who owned it. People driving Trabants would greet each other by flashing lights or honking. It would be a great idea to have a no-extras barebone pragmatic car that would have a small and simple enough engine that anyone could take it out by himself or herself and service it on the kichen table like the old Trabant engine. But I guess with all the safety regulations and all the convenience items “necessary” in a modern car we will end up with a car that weighs a lot more, has more electronic gizmos and therefore cannot be repaired easily and delivers a worse fuel mileage than the old. Sort of the same thing that happened to the Beetle.
Oh by the way the chassis was not plastic but laminated wood :)
I saw a Trabi towing a BMW 7er on the A9 once. I bet he was going to do an engine swap. Maybe he was Herpa’s founder.
If they decide to dress up the new Trabi with a navigation system, they could keep with the Cold War-era theme by having a map on a paper piano roll that scrolls past behind a little plastic car. “Comrade, you veel turn LEFT in 40 meters or ELSE.”
Actually it was not laminated wood, but a kind of plastic, called Duroplast. However, these class of plastics has properties very similar to wood, so the error is understandable.
I can personally attest to the high quality of the original Beetle. Mine is my daily driver.
At the price mentioned, the new Trabi will have to offer more than nostalgia.
@Cicero
In Soviet Russia, CAR drives YOU!