What kind of car would a year's salary buy in communist East Germany in 1990? Be ready to be impressed by... how unimpressive it is.Yes, this car was built in 1990. To put this into perspective, this is what a station wagon in West Germany looked like; in America; and… in East Germany.As bad as it was back in the day, with its cute appearance and its grille that seems to smile, the #Trabi has turned into a cult car, turning heads and prompting people to smile everywhere it goes.In 1963, the #Trabant sold at 7,450 Marks, close to twenty-thousand USD in today's money. The average yearly income of an East German in 1960 was 6,700 Marks, which means a Trabant cost more than an entire year's wages for a typical worker, and it was to be paid in advance. After which you had to wait another ten years to take delivery.Because of the scarcity, real-market value of used examples was about double that amount, but it allowed you to skip the 10-year waiting line.The design of the Trabant by Lothar Sachse seems to have been inspired by the Peugeot 404 that came out 4 years prior. The shape of the grille, headlamps, blinkers and tail lamps inside small tail fins all bear a clear resemblance to the 404.The S in the badges of the Trabant stands for its manufacturer, Sachsenring Automobilwerke in Zwickau.The version we're reviewing is the station wagon, "kombi" in German, with a tailgate for extra practicality but still only with two doors so not that much extra practicality. The upright position of the windshield and tailgate provide for excellent visibility all around and makes for a lot of luggage space. How many bags of coal can you carry in the cargo space? Not that many, because the store ran out.While headroom in the Trabi is good, other room not so much. The position of the driver's seat is adjustable, so you can have even less legroom. The Trabi's 600 cc engine makes 28 horsepower and brings the tiny car from 0 to its top speed of 62 mph in 60 seconds. Yes, that's one full minute. It does this on puny 13" tires, because remember, rubber was scarce too. The engine is air-cooled and wears a fashionable leather jacket to keep it warm during cold soviet winters.The engine runs on a mixture of gas and oil and seriously, I have no idea how people survived in the #DDR with streets full of these cars. Its pollution makes even Volkswagen cough. The fuel supply can be shut off with a cut-off valve in the dash.Anyone who says this Trabant is trash would be factually correct. Steel was, like everything in the Soviet empire, in short supply. Therefore, the body panels are made out of recycled cotton waste. So, small engine, light car, great fuel economy, right? You wish! This baby goes 27 miles on a gallon. Fuel consumption of a V8 with the power of a moped: the Soviet dream.With plastic body panels, it's surprising to see the grille is made of stamped aluminum. More aluminum is used in the trim pieces that cover the spots where the panels are mounted to the chassis, such as these rain gutters, and the body trim that lines the car from the front all the way to the back.Door handles, hubcaps, and even the badges on this late model Trabi are made of black plastic. The 1990 Trabi features steel wheels without wheel covers, and it has steel bumpers. Those bumpers were still made to bump, featuring rubber blocks and corner pieces, which can be replaced separately.So how was a 1990 Soviet car equipped? Well, the same way as a 1960 Soviet car. The Trabant 601 was introduced in 1964 and remained virtually the same until production ended in 1991. Lack of resources in the DDR forced the East-Germans to produce the car as cheaply as possible, which brought about some nifty solutions to still implement the features they wanted.For example, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror was way out of reach, but even a spring-loaded manual one was too expensive. So, what was their solution? Simply flip the mirror around!The seats in the Trabant are surprisingly well-padded and soft. The whole interior is upholstered in 70s style brown and orange vinyl and fabric. The doors have the tiniest door handles I have ever seen in any car and their flimsiness sets the tone for everything else in the interior.The need to save money is apparent everywhere. For example, each door can be locked from only one side. The driver door can be locked from the outside but not from the inside. Likewise, the passenger door can be locked from the inside, but not the outside.What other equipment did your 1990 Trabi come with? It has no less than three grab handles; two on the B-pillars and one on the dashboard for the passenger. I guess the designers were aware of the ride quality on Soviet roads. And it sports two ashtrays, also something carried over from the 60s.The Trabant comes further equipped with such luxuries as mud flaps, and an engine. Oh, and this 1990 model comes with front seat belts. Without spring loading mechanism, of course.
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