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1989 Sachsenring Trabant 601


TrabbieRonnie

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While I'm on, here's more pics of Rosie...

 

 

Trial fit of a bumper (think it's Renault 4?) that we found in the woods on the banks of the Spey!

 

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Below is Rosie with the Qek, a caravan built in the DDR specifically for Trabbies and Wartburgs… actually pulls pretty well, up to 45 mph when physics takes over, and says... no more!

 

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Just need to find a ... borderline dangerous one.

 

I think they're all borderline dangerous. Have you seen where they put the fuel tank? Good way to save money as the fuel is gravity fed - no need for a pump.

 

I've always wanted one too... but having owned plenty of MZs I should really know better. A Barkas is the dream for me...

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Zwickau is the name of the plant where they were built, Fumbler...  It's still there, Sachsenring develop prototype components for a lot of makers these days I believe.

 

In the last throes of Trabbi production, VW Polos were made on the same line!  There was an attempt to update the old thing with a licence built VW four-stroke engine, but they are shit, and not real Trabants...

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Love the fact the Reg plate matches up with the CC listed on the DVLA site :)

 

im still hoping for someone to do a shoot out between a classic air cooled one and one of the Polo engined ones, that would make for an interesting comparison :)

 

so whats the fastest you have done in the old girl?  :mrgreen:

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I bottled it at 112kph, about 70 I think? Unassisted drums all round tend to focus the mind!

 

I don't think the four-bangers are much faster, if at all... They were detuned to 40bhp, and a bit heavier. I'm told they're better for towing. Give me the two-stroke soundtrack any day! As an aside, every Trabant ever built had a towbar from new, the government could commandeer them for battlefield duties if required... Imagine the field artlillery you could pull with 26bhp!

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Qek Juniors weigh between 350 and 400 kgs, you can push it around with one hand. You do see them for sale, mostly in Germany though... This one found me, a guy I met at a car show had it for towing with his Mini. He had the manual showing it with Trabants, couldn't believe he'd seen the car in the flesh (duroplast!), and insisted I buy it!

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I bottled it at 112kph, about 70 I think? Unassisted drums all round tend to focus the mind!

 

I don't think the four-bangers are much faster, if at all... They were detuned to 40bhp, and a bit heavier. I'm told they're better for towing. Give me the two-stroke soundtrack any day! As an aside, every Trabant ever built had a towbar from new, the government could commandeer them for battlefield duties if required... Imagine the field artlillery you could pull with 26bhp!

If 100kph was 60 I think it would be safe to assume you were doing 70. The one thing I might find a bit difficult is the lack of coast because the freewheel bearing only works on 4th. Oh wait, clutch and idle.

Some factory worker built potato cannons would be the only artillery required for any battle a fleet of Trabbis would commandeer. The eastern parts of Germany are a goldmine for old eastern bloc cars and parts. Good job I like German so much because I could be spending a lot of time there in future.

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I bottled it at 112kph, about 70 I think? Unassisted drums all round tend to focus the mind!

 

I don't think the four-bangers are much faster, if at all... They were detuned to 40bhp, and a bit heavier. I'm told they're better for towing. Give me the two-stroke soundtrack any day! As an aside, every Trabant ever built had a towbar from new, the government could commandeer them for battlefield duties if required... Imagine the field artlillery you could pull with 26bhp!

 

 

70Mph! #madman  :mrgreen: for some reason I thought 601s ran out of puff around 50Mph, I bet you got some confused/fun looks on the motorway as you cruised* down the road :) 26 horse power was more then i was expecting!

 

interesting little tidbit on the towbar there did not know that :)

 

being 2 stroke can you start the engine in reverse like a Bond minicar or Pre Model 70 invalid carriage?

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I bottled it at 112kph, about 70 I think? Unassisted drums all round tend to focus the mind!

I don't think the four-bangers are much faster, if at all... They were detuned to 40bhp, and a bit heavier. I'm told they're better for towing. Give me the two-stroke soundtrack any day! As an aside, every Trabant ever built had a towbar from new, the government could commandeer them for battlefield duties if required... Imagine the field artlillery you could pull with 26bhp!

The Wehrmacht used Kubelwagons to pull their lightweight field guns, I bet they are only about that power.
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In good order they're nowhere near as slow as everyone thinks! First production car ever to be fitted with electronic ignition... Engine has five moving parts... Coil for each cylinder...

 

Rosie's in fine fettle with a new stainless exhaust and good Bosch coils and ngk plugs. Also, they shouldn't belch out blue smoke once warm, 50:1 premix is fine if your engine is good and used regularly. 70 was my top, not the cars, I am many miles north of a motorway! I was on a local single track!

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The wee 'van gets a great reaction at the car shows... Actually a really nice wee thing. It uses Trabant wheels, so you only need to carry one spare! One big bed, wee kitchen with gas hob, and loads of storage. Stable door with a better lock on it than my house too...

 

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Used it as a bedroom for the kids while away camping last year... You forget it's on the back being so light!

 

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As a true Sachse, of course my parents had one of these, too (as 2nd car next to a Vectra A), all the way into the 90s. Ours was green and was later replaced by a red Corsa A we got from our grandma. Still plenty of them around, I've recently seen this Universal in my home town:

 

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