Friday, February 23, 2007

World’s worst car won’t go away

Would you buy a car whose prototype once turned soggy when left out in the rain? Yeah, I agree. I would, too. But unfortunately you can’t buy the East German Trabant (Satellite) anymore. Not new, anyway. They haven’t been built since 1991 for some strange reason. Und das ist gut so (and that’s a good thing).



But there are still die-hard “Trabi” fans everywhere. You can even go on a “Trabi Safari” through old “East Berlin” these days, for crying out loud. And to make matters even worse, the Trabantistas are getting all emotional these days about the car’s upcoming 50th birthday celebration(s), although, just between you and me, most of these cars look quite a bit older.

The Trabant was supposed to be the GDR’s answer to the Volkswagen Beetle, of course. But all it really did was raise a whole lot of other questions. Like why does the damned thing always make that “dang, dang, dang” noise? And how come it won’t ever go any faster than 56mph?

These are questions that we will never know the answers to, as the Trabi isn’t talking. It will take its sordid little secrets with it to the grave one day, someday, a long, long time from now, in a Ford Galaxy far, far away.

Nichts für Warmduscher.

Kommentare auf Deutsch? Logisch.

Posted by clarsonimus at 07:37:55 | Permanent Link | Comments (4) |
Comments
1 - I liked the trabi - especially around 1990 you'd see them everywhere, with curtains, and decorations - always looking cute. (Not like the trabis in the photo here, stripped of all personality)People loved these cars and kept them going for like 20 years. But after reunification, everyone dumped their trabis and bought West-cars, BMWs, Mercedes, etc. Sometimes you'd see a trabi as decoration in a store display, etc. A smart entrepreneur would have bought up a few dozen of them and kept them until now, when they can probably be marketed quite successfully. (Comment this)

Written by: indeterminacy at 2007/02/23 - 09:19:55
2 - Considering the Trabant had all the power, handling, comfort and style of a mis-firing lawn mower, "to drive a Trabi ONLY once in a lifetime" was more likely what they were dreaming of.

.

 (Comment this)

Written by: letters at 2007/02/23 - 10:42:53
3 - I love Trabants. I wish I could own one. Been in a few during my travels across Eastern Europe and I think they are full of character.
Thanks for bringing back such memories.

P.S. mpg is not a speed, it's a meaure of fuel efficiency - something the Trabant was always pretty good at. (Comment this)

Written by: 6000 at 2007/02/23 - 12:37:21
4 - 6000, oops. Mie typking sckills r amaezzing sometimer... (Comment this)

Written by: Clarsonimus at 2007/02/23 - 13:14:13 in reply to: 3
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