Trabant P 70-1958

The Trabant P 70 was the first people’s car made in East Germany after WWII.  The body of the P 70 is made of Duraplast, which is a mixture of fabric and resin that is pressed into a mold.  This method of manufacturing was much more economical than making the bodies out of fiberglass.  The P 70 was quite unique in the fact that it has front wheel drive and independent front suspension.  The P 70 led to the development of the P 50 and P 60 which were slightly smaller cars with smaller engines.  The final variant was the Trabant 601, which remained in production until 1991, and sold more than 3 million units.  This P 70 is special because it was bought new in 1958 by a gentleman from Poland.  He owned the car his whole life, and died in the mid 1990s.  His family continued to keep the car in a heated garage until 2011 when they sold it to the museum.  It has covered over 87,000 km, and sits here as a piece of history.

 

Specifications:

 

Manufacturer:  VEB Kraftfahrzeugwerk Audi Zwickau (Sachsen)

Country of Origin:  East Germany

Drivetrain Configuration:  Front engine, front wheel drive

Engine:  690cc, 2 cylinder, two stroke, water-cooled, 22 hp

Transmission:  3 speed manual

Top Speed:  55 mph

Years of Production:  1955-

Number Produced:  36,000

Original Cost: