Somebody wrote (I don't know, who, as I did not see the original message):
>> It has been some time since I read about them, but as I recall they had a
>> two cylinder *two stroke* engine. Hence the characteristic dirty exhaust
>> of a two-stroke.
>>
I actually own one!
I bought one in Eastern Germany, shortly after the Fall Of The Berlin Wall.
At the time, you could buy them for next to nothing there, as people wanted
nothing else
but drive a 'real' car instead.
This was at once made possible with the introduction of the hard-currency
Deutschmark there.
I remember having witnessed complete dumping sites of almost complete
Trabants along the road.
I bought an example that was still in use, not an unattended one, as, of
course, I also needed the
car's East German documents for re-registration over here in Holland.
We drove it home, 'only' a 500 mile trip BTW.
Yes, they have a two-cylinder two-stroke engine, transversely installed.
Front wheel drive and four-speed gearbox, which was something VERY modern at
the time of
introduction (1957 or 1958). The last major facelift came in 1964.
My own Trabant is from 1968 (as a 'historic' car still eligible for
registration here,
so it can be driven, a 1972 or later year car with two-stroke engine would
never qualify).
It was rebuilt, at undoubtedly very high cost, in 1988, i.e. just before the
FOTBW in 1989.
It is a sensation to drive one!
First, everything that you take for granted in any car, is NOT in a Trabant!
Don't expect the interior light to switch on when you open the door.
There is NO fuel gauge, but rather a motorcycle style fuel valve.
No heater fan. (Having said that, not much heater, either! Like in my MGB).
There is, however, an ash tray (In Eastern Europe, almost everybody smokes).
You attract a lot of attention when you drive one.
The sound is very characteristic (from the outside), as is the smell.
The sound is very loud (from the inside).
When you drive at about 80 km/h (50 mph), the noise level is about the same as
at full speed in a Ferrari!
The steering and gearbox are very good and pleasant.
What is not so good, is the lack of power.
Top speed is about 100 km/h, but then you need earplugs!
In city traffic, the little car is quite fast.
But on any other road, its lack of speed makes is rather dangerous.
The door skins and wings are made of resin impregnated cotton,
that behaves like cardboard in case of an accident.
So all in all, it is a very unsafe car!
Filling her up with gas is quite an adventure: first you open the hood.
Then you use a dipstick to gauge, how much gas is left.
(Yes, that's right: the fuel tank is in the engine bay, right above the
engine,
eliminating the need for a fuel pump. Ralph Nader would probably have a stroke
if he ever saw one...)
Then you determine, how many litres to add. But first, you pour in 2 percent
of that
quantity in two-stroke oil.
I forgot to mention that whenever you are at a filling station, it will only
take one minute or so
before you have at least ten people standing around the car to see what the
h*ll is going on.
As with an MG, the car is not very complicated, most work could be done by
the owners.
This was also more or less required as both service and spare parts
availability were
very poor in Eastern Germany (a country resembling, in many respects,
today's Cuba).
Hope this is of some interest to whoever wrote about Trabants in the first
place.
Bert
palte@rt.el.utwente.nl
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