The 'Trabi' automobile, once a symbol of East Germany, to be revived
BERLIN: Nearly two decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall, a German company plans to give the Trabant, a two-cylinder car that became the symbol of East Germany, a new lease on life.
The new Trabants will no longer have tiny engines, noxious fumes and plastic bodies, but will retain the iconic design of the original - like Volkswagen's new Beetle or the new Mini.
The Trabant was the most common vehicle in the former communist state and was produced without major changes for nearly 30 years. It was known in the West as a "spark plug with a roof" because of its small size, but East Germans queued for years to buy one. Despite its cramped interior and weak engine, the boxy car came to be regarded with affection and now has cult status.
Herpa, a Bavarian manufacturer of miniature vehicles, wants to capitalize on nostalgia for the "Trabi" and bought the rights to the name with a view to creating a full-sized version of the car.
"There's been a new Beetle, a new Mini - it's time for a new Trabi," said Daniel Stiegler, a Herpa spokesman.
The company will present a one-tenth scale model of its concept at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt next week. The initial design has the two-door, four-seater car painted in the once omnipresent sky-blue color.
Production will be negotiated based on the reaction at the show. "A limited run of 5,000 is the most likely option," Stiegler said. "We are in talks with several manufacturers."
Herpa is considering a model equipped with a BMW engine, which would retail at around €50,000, or $68,320. Restored vintage models in good condition sell for about €10,000.
The car became a symbol after images of East Germans crossing the border in their Trabis were beamed to millions across the world in November 1989, when the Berlin Wall fell.