Without doubt this car is a ‘hit’ with our technicians. Every time I look out the showroom windows, one of them is taking it round the estate we're on.
This Trabant 601 is a replica of the state controlled German Democratic Republic GDR rally cars of their time. Overseas cars were forbidden and home-built cars which included the Wartburg, were the serious contenders in motorsport competition.
On the contrary to what you might think, rallying in GDR was serious and factories were required to build durable and fast cars at whatever cost. They remained two-stroke and based on the family run-around model, but they were seriously modified and engineered for competition. Uprated carburettors, expansion chambers, increased compression delivered double the standard cars horsepower. Chassis and suspension upgrades delivered improved handling, with a short gearbox and LSD. Together, this delivered a tiny, screaming rally weapon.
We are delighted with this car, in particular the standard to which it has been modified. It has been built to RS700 Race Spec and to an exemplary standard. So good is it, this example has a current Motorsport UK Rally vehicle passport. There are two box-files that are full of technical information and invoices from Trabant specialists for rally items, purchased by the previous owner. These invoices are for huge amounts of money, with the number of items bought and fitted. It seems that parts are readily available from UK suppliers and throughout Europe.
This unique car featured in Episode 4 of Guy Martins ‘Guys Garage’, which was filmed at Brands Hatch. There are photographs of this event in the pack and it is available to view on YouTube. Bought in Germany by one of the editors of Practical Classics magazine, when it was noticed that this car had uprated thicker drive shafts, uprated wheel hubs and brake drums with cooling fins, all added from the factory and fitted to the racing Trabants. With these items already fitted it was decided to further build the car, as the Rally cars were and as seen here today.
The body and paintwork are in great order, and the underside is protected by underseal. The interior is stripped but neatly presented, and the car has a full factory rally livery. Driving superbly well and screaming as two strokes do, this example has had an engine rebuild some years ago and was tuned prior to filming on Guy Martins rolling road, where the original Mikuni carburettor was upgraded to the single SU by Guys tech and close friend Paul the Carb.
Modifications are 1 ½ SU carburettor, sports clutch, lightened flywheel, 700 engine, 800RS air intake, 4-speed gearbox with Wartburg drive shafts, hubs, bigger front brakes, air intakes for cooling larger finned brakes, large bore bespoke exhaust and wiring loom with documentation. A hoot of a car and something very rare and very special indeed, sold new the year the Berlin wall came down - please form an orderly queue.
This Trabant will be supplied with a 6-month Autoguard national warranty, and an MOT valid until August 2026.
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