On the surface one might argue that Trabants are some sad little cars. They are underpowered -- but still manage to pump out an amazing blue exhaust cloud. While they may be impervious to rust (at least the body), they are flimsy and offer all the crash protection of a Japanese Tea House.
Despite all this, Trabants have a devoted following. Is it their history as an Eastern Bloc icon? Their long history as just about the only car an East German family could own?
No...
We think it is their brush with fame. How many cars have featured prominently in a major rock tour -- or in a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit shoot?
Yup...these little cars sure get around.
1 comment:
Trabants are as iconic as the Model T, the Volkswagen Beetle, or the Willys Jeep.
To me, the Trabant symbolizes the fall of the wall, freedom, struggle, and the end of an era. I was a U.S. soldier in Germany when the first Trabants started pouring over the Iron Curtain.
I know the Trabant symbolizes other things to other people, too - innovation, simplicity, tenacity.
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