The Comeback of the 'Trabi'

Daniel Stiegler, a representative of the Bavarian company Herpa, a miniature model manufacturer located in Dietenhofen, Germany, announced at the IAA in Frankfort a.M. in Germany, Herpa wants to put the Trabant back on the street by 2009. The miniature model manufacturer is working on the revival of the Trabant, because the original manufacturer, East German automaker VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwickau, in Zwickau, Saxony, does not exist anymore.

For this purpose, Herpa is in negotiations with potential partners, who would be capable of producing the 'real thing' as Herpa itself is specialized in the production of miniature models of cars, including the Trabant. Herpa presented a design study of the new Trabi at the IAA. Herpa originally only expected to produce a limited edition of the new Trabis. However, customer inquiries have been significantly greater than expected and Herpa is evaluating the options of increasing the number of Trabis to be produced. Stiegler also added the car would be up-to-date with modern equipment and security features.

The first 'Trabi' or 'Trabbi' as East Germans affectionately called their 'Trabants' was produced in 1957. It was the most common vehicle in East Germany until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Since 1957 until production of the vehicle stopped in 1991, more than 3 million Trabants had been manufactured.

During the communist era East Germans were particularly fond of the Trabi. The Trabant was not a comfortable car and had a poorly performing and polluting engine and exhaust system. The Trabi's design was left almost unchanged during the more than thirty years it was produced. It was also one of the few vehicles available for purchase for East German consumers. However, it had enough space for four adults plus luggage. It also was compact, light, and very durable. The average lifespan of a Trabi was about 28 years. It could take several years before a new Trabant would be delivered after a customer had ordered it. Therefore, East German Trabi owners became very well versed in maintaining and repairing their Trabi.

The Trabi achieved cult status as a symbol of the fall of communism, as many East Germans drove their Trabis into West Berlin and West Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. However, demands for the Trabi subsided after East Germans preferred to buy used western cars, which led to the stop of the Trabant production in 1991. At this point East Germans would sell the Trabi for a few marks, or even give it away or abandon it. Nowadays it has become a collectors' item. However, compared to other 'old-timers', the Trabant is still selling cheap.