= Trabant

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= Trabant_601 =
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Introduction
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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 1964 to 1990.
As a result, it is the best-known Trabant model and often referred to
simply as the "Trabant" or "Trabi". During this long production run,
2,818,547 Trabant 601s were produced overall, and it was the most
common vehicle in East Germany.

Overview
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In hindsight, the Trabant 601 can be considered East Germany's answer
to West Germany's "People's Car", the VW Beetle. Its purpose was to
provide a cheap but still reliable car that was very affordable and
also easy to repair and maintain. Still, it was at the time of its
release rather modern in many ways, with front wheel drive combined
with transversely mounted motor, a low maintenance engine, unitary
construction, rack and pinion steering, composite bodywork and
independent suspension all around. The car body was made of Duroplast.
The main letdown was the engine, which was a two-stroke based on a
pre-war DKW. It was competitive when launched, but from the late 1950s
into the 1960s, small economy cars in Western countries that used
two-stroke engines were replaced with cleaner and more efficient
four-stroke engines, as employed from the start in the Volkswagen
Beetle. Two-stroke engines of this sort, with crankcase scavenging and
lubricating oil provided during fuel intake, burn their lubricating
oil by design and produce smoky tailpipe emissions. However,
two-stroke engines also powered cars such as the West German Auto
Union 1000 that ended production in 1965, and the Swedish Saab 96 that
changed to four-stroke in 1967. It was planned to replace the
two-stroke-motor with a Wankel engine; however, East Germany failed to
develop such a motor with satisfying parameters. Later, the lack of
development funds in East Germany forced the continued use of a
two-stroke engine in the Trabant, thus causing this vehicle to become
outdated towards the end of the 1960s and obsolete by the 1980s.

History
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The Trabant 601 was a modern automobile when introduced in 1963, with
150 pre-production examples. The body was modified from the previous
P50/P60 variants of the Trabant, with a heavy emphasis on the front
and roof area. The back of the car was also modified with different
taillights and a higher trunk loading height as compared to previous
models. Overall, the design was praised, particularly on the
then-modern double trapezoid design. Originally, production was only
planned to run from 1967 to 1971, but instead continued until 1990.
The original P 60 engine was only . In 1969 the new P62 version was
offered with a engine. In 1974, a needle roller bearing was added to
the connecting rod, allowing for a 50/1 lubricant to be used. Through
the addition of a two-stage carburetor in 1984, the fuel consumption
was brought down by 1/100 L/km. With these additions, the top speed
was measured to be 107 km/h. Even with these improvements, the fuel
consumption could still rise rapidly with extended acceleration or
when towing a trailer. The P601 also had an overrunning clutch when
running in fourth gear.

Over the course of decades, the design of the Trabant changed little.
This caused the increasingly obsolete Trabant's reputation to worsen
as time progressed. However, this had little effect on the sales
figures — wait times of 10 years or longer for a new car were not
uncommon. The price for a new Trabant in 1985 was 8,500 Mark for the
601 Standard, and 9,700 Mark for the most expensive model, the 601
Universal S de Luxe. Available options at this time included a shelf
under the instrument panel and intermittent windshield wipers. With
change to 12 V in 1984, options as hazard flashers and rear window
heater became available.

New models were considered with the P602, P603, and P610 being planned
in Zwickau. Among other improvements researched were larger motors and
also wankel engines. All improvements however were blocked by the East
German (DDR) government, which considered them unnecessary and feared
the extra costs.

When a successor, the Trabant 1.1, was eventually developed, it
received minimal external differences. The only exterior changes were
a new radiator grille, bumpers, taillights, a more square bonnet, and
the movement of the fuel cap to the rear right of the car. The
interior was subject to many changes.

Variants
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* Trabant 601 Standard (as Limousine & Universal).
* Trabant 601 S (Sonderwunsch - Special Edition): with optional
equipment such as fog lamps, rear white light, and an odometer (as
Limousine & Universal).
* Trabant 601 DeLuxe: like the 601 S and additional twin-tone
colouring and chrome bumper (as Limousine & Universal).
* Trabant 601 Kübel (added in 1966): Jeep version with no doors,
folding roof, auxiliary heating system, the ignition system is
shielded against electromagnetic interference.
* Trabant 601 Tramp (added in 1978): the civilian version of the
Trabant Kübel, mainly exported to Greece.
* Trabant 601 Hycomat (P601 H): 1965-1990, in limited numbers (as
Limousine & Universal). Made only for users with missing or
dysfunctional left leg. It had included an automatic clutching system.
* Trabant 800 RS: Rally version (1986-1988) with 771 cc engine and
5-speed manual transmission.

Technical data
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!! Trabant 601 saloon !! Trabant 601 Universal
Engine: colspan="2"|Two cylinder two stroke otto engine type P65/66
Displacement: colspan="2"|594.5 cc
Bore × Stroke: colspan="2"|72 mm × 73 mm
Rated power: colspan="2"|19.1 kW at 4200 rpm
Torque: colspan="2"|54 N·m at 3000 rpm
Compression ratio: colspan="2"|7.8 ± 2 : 1
Cooling system: colspan="2"|Air-cooled
Clutch: colspan="2"|Single disk dry clutch
Gearbox: colspan="2"|Four-speed gearbox 1st gear: 4.08 2nd gear:
2.32 3rd gear: 1.52 4th gear: 1.103 Reverse gear: 3.83
Fuel type: colspan="2"|"Regular" gasoline 88 RON
Oil type: colspan="2"| Two stroke engine oil MZ-22
Fuel-oil-ratio: colspan="2"|1 : 50
Weight: 615 kg 650 kg
Dimensions L × W × H: 3555 mm × 1505 mm × 1440 mm 3560 mm × 1510
mm × 1440 mm
Top speed: colspan="2"|100 km/h (62 mph)
Source: colspan="2"|

The 601 today
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Many former DDR citizens have mixed emotions toward their "Trabi". It
is very loud and uncomfortable, and still a symbol for the demised
DDR, as it was a part of the system. However, the Trabant was a
robust, functional and repair-friendly car, so many people developed a
strong relationship to their Trabant. Further, the Trabant never was a
symbol of Communist bureaucrats, who tended to own a Lada, Polski Fiat
or Volga). Finally, the Trabant also is a symbol for breaking through
the wall in 1989.

In recent years, the car has become collectors' items, with growing
popularity. Green Trabants are especially popular, as they are
rumoured to bring good luck to their owners. Many Trabant owners'
clubs exist throughout Europe and 601s have their fans all over the
world. Also, many Trabant 601s are still used as rally racing cars.

As a symbol of a forgone era, it has inspired movies such as 'Go Trabi
Go' which presented the Trabant as a kind of East German character and
could make former DDR citizens laugh "not precisely at themselves, but
at the absurdities of the system under which they lived until last
year", symbolised by the three main aspects of the Trabant: slow,
breaks down frequently and often ridiculed by Western society. It has
also seduced people including the US actor David Hasselhoff to drive a
Trabant, although he had trouble getting into it. Later he admitted he
is a fan of the Trabant. Stephen Kinzer of 'The New York Times' likens
the Trabant as a symbol for the people who built it, who "survive[d]
through difficult times and ultimately triumph[ed]." The car was also
featured in the US film 'Everything Is Illuminated'.

The Trabant 601 is the subject of 'Jalopy', a 2016 roadtrip video
game. Set in June 1990 East Germany, during the early months of German
reunification, the player is tasked to maintain a fictionalized
version of the Trabant 601, the 'Laika 601', and use it to drive the
player character's uncle to Istanbul, Turkey, via Eastern and
Southeastern Europe.

External links
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*[http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x23w2b_trabant-601-ddr-commercial_auto
Original DDR commercial for the Trabant]
*[http://totalcarmagazine.com/features/2014/02/18/how_trabants_and_wartburgs_were_made/
Video: How Trabants were made]
*[http://www.micromaniacsclub.co.uk "A club that welcomes owners and
drivers of these vehicles"]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW2tv0Js3-I Trabant 601 S de Luxe
Exterior and Interior in Full 3D HD]

License
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Original Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trabant_601