Les Drives a Trabant in Berlin-2022

Les and Teresa take a tour of Berlin with Trabi-Safari, where you get to drive an East German-made Sachsenring Trabant on a guided tour. This was during our two week trip to Germany in June/July of 2022. It is a unique way to see the city, and we enjoyed it. They also offer tours in the city of Dresden. No, I'm NOT a paid spokesman.
The Trabant, or Trabi, as it's affectionately known, was the Communist East German Government's answer of a People's Car, something almost anyone could afford. When they were introduced in the late 1950's, they were comparable to some very small cars built in the Capitalist West Germany. They came with a two-stroke, two cylinder aircooled engine driving the front wheels through a four speed transmission. They could seat four persons, made around 24hp, good for just about 105kph. The body panels (fenders, door skins, top panel, hood and trunk lid) were made of a cotton/resin concoction they called Duroplast, somewhat like a cheaper fiberglass resin. They were then bolted to a steel framework. Around 3 million or so were produced from 1959 to 1991. In the final year, Volkswagen bought the factory and re-engineered the car to accept a 1.1 liter VW Polo engine. That didn't make the car much more appealing and production ceased for good in 1991. After German Unification, you literally could not give one away, but they now acquired a kind of cult status.
If you would like more information about this tour, visit their web site at: www.trabi-safari.de/index.php?...