Post by Wyvern on Sept 19, 2009 23:19:47 GMT
green.autoblog.com/2009/09/18/frankfurt-2009-electric-trabant-nt-concept/
Hot on the (w)heels of the retro Mini, Beetle and 500, comes something I never thought would happen; a Trabant concept.
The Communist era East German original was loved and loathed in equal measure, even though it was mostly made of something resembling cardboard and produced more smoke than a Top Gear production meeting. These days, much as with other well loved old cars (and the Morris Marina), enthusiasts keep many examples running - and despite this warning from history, after an absence of many years, the Trabi could be back.
It gets better.
The company behind this unexpected revival is the unfortunately named Herpa Miniaturmodelle GmbH. Even if you don't speak German, it isn't a long mental leap to figure out what 'Miniaturmodelle' means, and the chances are, you've just realised that the Trabant is being revived by a model car manufacturer. They've made lots of cars, obviously, but never real one. If they can find the right backing, they hope to have it in production by 2012.
In an even more unexpected twist, the oil-guzzling, smoke-belching Trabi is set to come back as an all-electric vehicle, though final details of the powertrain have yet to be confirmed.
It should be wrong on so many levels, and yet it does have potential. An electric city car doesn't need to be fast, so the aerodynamic considerations aren't as great as for a car designed for travelling long distances on a regular basis, and the updated design fits in well with the current trend for retro styling. The Trabant is viewed with a great deal of affection in certain quarters and does have potential 'cult' status. And personally, I like the looks a lot.
It's just... an electric Trabant built by a toy company? Who says the Germans don't have a sense of humour? They must be joking, surely...
Hot on the (w)heels of the retro Mini, Beetle and 500, comes something I never thought would happen; a Trabant concept.
The Communist era East German original was loved and loathed in equal measure, even though it was mostly made of something resembling cardboard and produced more smoke than a Top Gear production meeting. These days, much as with other well loved old cars (and the Morris Marina), enthusiasts keep many examples running - and despite this warning from history, after an absence of many years, the Trabi could be back.
It gets better.
The company behind this unexpected revival is the unfortunately named Herpa Miniaturmodelle GmbH. Even if you don't speak German, it isn't a long mental leap to figure out what 'Miniaturmodelle' means, and the chances are, you've just realised that the Trabant is being revived by a model car manufacturer. They've made lots of cars, obviously, but never real one. If they can find the right backing, they hope to have it in production by 2012.
In an even more unexpected twist, the oil-guzzling, smoke-belching Trabi is set to come back as an all-electric vehicle, though final details of the powertrain have yet to be confirmed.
It should be wrong on so many levels, and yet it does have potential. An electric city car doesn't need to be fast, so the aerodynamic considerations aren't as great as for a car designed for travelling long distances on a regular basis, and the updated design fits in well with the current trend for retro styling. The Trabant is viewed with a great deal of affection in certain quarters and does have potential 'cult' status. And personally, I like the looks a lot.
It's just... an electric Trabant built by a toy company? Who says the Germans don't have a sense of humour? They must be joking, surely...
