Trabant 601
The Trabant 601 is a Trabant model produced by VEB Sachsenring in Zwickau, Saxony. It was the third generation of the model, built for the longest production time, from 1964 to 1990, and again from 1996 to 2002. As a result, it is the best-known Trabant model and often referred to simply as the "Trabant" or "Trabi". During this long production run, 2,818,547 Trabant 601 units were produced overall, and it was the most common vehicle in East Germany.
Overview
In hindsight, the Trabant 601 can be considered East Germany's answer to West Germany's "People's Car", the VW Beetle. Its purpose was to provide a cheap but still reliable car that was very affordable and also easy to repair and maintain. Still, it was at the time of its release rather modern in many ways, with front-wheel drive combined with transversely mounted motor, a low maintenance engine, unitary construction, rack and pinion steering, composite bodywork, and independent suspension all around. The car body was made of Duroplast. The main letdown was the engine, which was a two-stroke based on a pre-war DKW. It was competitive when launched, but from the late 1950s into the 1960s, small economy cars in Western countries that used two-stroke engines were replaced with cleaner and more efficient four-stroke engines, as employed from the start in the Volkswagen Beetle. Two-stroke engines of this sort, with crankcase scavenging and lubricating oil provided during fuel intake, burn their lubricating oil by design and produce smoky tailpipe emissions. However, two-stroke engines also powered cars such as the West German Auto Union 1000 that ended production in 1965, and the Swedish Saab 96 that only changed to four-stroke in 1967. It was planned to replace the two-stroke-motor with a Wankel engine; however, East Germany failed to develop a practical version of such a motor. Throughout the years the Trabant received minor visual and technical updates, such as front and rear bumpers with plastic ends, electronic ignition and a 12-volt electrical system, all in an attempt to modernise the line-up, but due to a lack of development funds in East Germany the upgrades were few and far between. The vehicle became outdated towards the end of the 1960s and it was fully obsolete by the 1980s. After the revolution in 1989, a deal was struck with Volkswagen to use one of their 1.1-litre, four-stroke engines in an attempt to modernise the car. However, the influx of cheaper, more modern cars from the West proved to be too great of a challenge, leading to the factory shutting down in early 1991.History
The Trabant 601 was a modern automobile when introduced in 1963, with 150 pre-production examples. The body was modified from the previous P50/P60 variants of the Trabant, with a heavy emphasis on the front and roof area. The back of the car was also modified with different taillights and a higher trunk loading height as compared to previous models. Overall, the design was praised, particularly on the then-modern double trapezoid design. Originally, production was only planned to run from 1967 to 1971, but instead continued until 1990. The original P 60 engine was only. In 1969 the new P62 version was offered with a engine. In 1974, a needle roller bearing was added to the connecting rod, allowing for a 50/1 lubricant to be used. Through the addition of a two-stage carburetor in 1984, the fuel consumption was brought down by 1/100 L/km. With these additions, the top speed was measured to be 107 km/h. Even with these improvements, the fuel consumption could still rise rapidly with extended acceleration or when towing a trailer. The P601 also had an overrunning clutch when running in fourth gear.Over the course of decades, the design of the Trabant changed little. This caused the increasingly obsolete Trabant's reputation to worsen as time progressed. However, this had little effect on the sales figures — wait times of 10 years or longer for a new car were not uncommon. The price for a new Trabant in 1985 was 8,500 Mark for the 601 Standard, and 9,700 Mark for the most expensive model, the 601 Universal S de Luxe. Available options at this time included a shelf under the instrument panel and intermittent windshield wipers. With change to 12 V in 1984, options as hazard flashers and rear window heater became available.
New models were considered with the P602, P603, and P610 being planned in Zwickau. Among other improvements researched were larger motors and also wankel engines. All improvements however were blocked by the East German government, which considered them unnecessary and feared the extra costs.
When a successor, the Trabant 1.1, was eventually developed, it received minimal external differences. The only exterior changes were a new radiator grille, bumpers, taillights, a more square bonnet, and the movement of the fuel cap to the rear right of the car. The interior was subject to many changes.
Uzbekistan production
Under the First National Industrial Development Program, automotive manufacturing was identified as a priority sector in Uzbekistan. In 1994, a technical cooperation agreement with former East German industrial organizations enabled the transfer of tooling, production equipment, and technical documentation related to the Trabant 601. The Tashkent Light Vehicle Assembly Plant was established in 1995, and pilot assembly began in 1996, with limited domestic distribution starting in early 1997. Vehicles produced at the facility were designated Trabant 601U and largely retained the original Trabant 601 body construction and chassis layout.Initial plans to use the Volkswagen-derived 1.1-liter four-cylinder engine were abandoned after licensing negotiations proved unsuccessful. As a result, the 601U was equipped with a locally produced 0.8-liter two-stroke engine derived from the original Trabant powertrain, producing approximately 30 horsepower. Production volumes remained limited and did not exceed 3,500 units annually. The program was discontinued in 2002 due to declining competitiveness and the introduction of newer vehicle models through international automotive joint ventures.
Variants
- Trabant 601 Standard.
- Trabant 601 S : with optional equipment such as fog lamps, rear white light, and an odometer.
- Trabant 601 DeLuxe: like the 601 S and additional twin-tone colouring and chrome bumper.
- Trabant 601 Kübel : Jeep version with no doors, folding roof, auxiliary heating system, the ignition system is shielded against electromagnetic interference.
- Trabant 601 Tramp : the civilian version of the Trabant Kübel, mainly exported to Greece.
- Trabant 601 Hycomat : produced from 1965–1990 in limited numbers. Made only for users with missing or dysfunctional left leg. It had included an automatic clutching system.
- Trabant 800 RS: Rally version with 771 cc engine and 5-speed manual transmission.
- Trabant 601U: Uzbekistan model with 0.8 engine
Hycomat
The vehicle's operating manual explained: "The Hycomat is an automated device for engaging and disengaging the clutch, thus eliminating the need for the usual foot pedal operation. The clutch is hydraulically actuated depending on the engine speed or via contact release from the gearshift lever." A "parking lock" is located in place of the clutch pedal. The Trabant 601-H was available to order for people with and without disabilities. It was explicitly also usable for people without two fully functional legs. At that time, people with such physical disabilities comprised approximately 10 percent of the population, including many who were disabled in the war. VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwickau was among a few manufacturers in the 1960s that produced vehicles for people with disabilities directly from the factory, thus taking into account an approach now known as inclusion.
From 1982 onwards, the Trabant Universal was also offered in a version for disabled persons, which, in addition to the automatic clutch, had other special features such as modified seats and improved equipment which meant it could be operated entirely by hand controls.
Technical data
Export countries
Eastern Europe
Western Europe
The 601 today
In recent years, the car has become collector's items, with growing popularity. Green Trabants are especially popular, as they are rumoured to bring good luck to their owners. Many Trabant owners' clubs exist throughout Europe and 601s have their fans all over the world. Also, many Trabant 601s are still used as rally racing cars.
As a symbol of a bygone era, it has inspired movies such as Go Trabi Go which presented the Trabant as a kind of East German character and could make former DDR citizens laugh "not precisely at themselves, but at the absurdities of the system under which they lived until last year", symbolised by the three main aspects of the Trabant: slow, breaks down frequently and often ridiculed by Western society. It has also seduced people including the US actor David Hasselhoff to drive a Trabant, although he had trouble getting into it. Later he admitted he is a fan of the Trabant. Stephen Kinzer of The New York Times likens the Trabant as a symbol for the people who built it, who "survive through difficult times and ultimately triumph." The car was also featured in the US film Everything Is Illuminated.
The Trabant 601 is the subject of Jalopy, a 2016 roadtrip video game. Set in June 1990 East Germany, during the early months of German reunification, the player is tasked to maintain a fictionalized version of the Trabant 601, the Laika 601, and use it to drive the player character's uncle to Istanbul, Turkey, via Eastern and Southeastern Europe.
The Trabant 601 makes an appearance in Half Life 2 as wreckage across City 17 and the surrounding area. The model is based on the Trabant 601 Universal. There are two game models, one where the vehicle is heavily damaged and one where the vehicle is abandoned.