1988 Trabant P601. Registration number, unregistered, NOVA ...

Hammer

£920

1988 Trabant P601. Registration number, unregistered, NOVA 20E120334. Chassis number 4053507. Engine number TBC.
The Trabant 601 (or Trabant P601 series) was a Trabant model produced by VEB Sachsenring in Zwickau, Saxony. It was the third generation of the model, built for the longest production time, from 1963 to 1990. Few cars hold such an iconic place in European history as the humble Trabant, the East German people's car that became a symbol of freedom at the fall of the Berlin Wall. Derided in the west as the very essence of communist inefficiency and incompetence - noisy, smoky, slow and uncomfortable - the car is the subject of more myths and misinformation than almost any other.
The body is Duroplast, created by mixing phenolic resin - a by-product of the chemical dying industry - with cotton fibre and heating in a press.
Externally, the car was to remain virtually unchanged for 27 years, although there were many changes under the skin, including upgrades to the two stroke engine, braking system, electrics, suspension, dashboard displays and the introduction of electronic ignition.
A dashboard fuel gauge was offered as an optional extra from 1984 onwards, drivers previously having to check the levels using a calibrated dipstick that also helped calculate the correct amount of oil to add when filling up. Later two-stroke cars featured a clear plastic tube fitted between the fuel hose and the top of the fuel tank, which allowed the driver to visually check the fuel level without taking the cap off the tank and using the dipstick.
This Trabant was built in February 1988 and spent its life in Bulgaria before being brought to the UK in 2019 and being placed in storage. In original condition it is in running order, although the interior could do with a make over.
Sold with the NOVA details.