Trabant 1.1
| Trabant | |
|---|---|
 Trabant 1.1 sedan
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| 1.1 | |
| Production period: | 1990-1991 |
| Class : | Small car |
| Body versions : | Limousine , station wagon , Kübelwagen , pickup |
| Engines: |
Otto engine : 1.1 liters (30 kW) |
| Length: | 3516-3521 mm |
| Width: | 1528-1560 mm |
| Height: | 1420-1520 mm |
| Wheelbase : | 2020 mm |
| Empty weight : | 700-735 kg |
| Previous model | Trabant 601 |
The Trabant 1.1 is the last vehicle of the Trabant series from the VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwickau , from 1990 the Sachsenring Automobilwerke GmbH.
development
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After several development projects in Zwickau that were canceled by the GDR government (mainly by Central Committee Economic Secretary Günter Mittag ), the development of a new Trabant model finally emerged in the mid-1980s. In 1984 IFA acquired the license from Volkswagen to build 1.1 and 1.3 l four-stroke engines . Like the previous Trabant engines, this engine ( VW EA111 ) was also produced at VEB Barkas-Werke . While Wartburg 1.3 and Barkas B 1000-1 received the 1.3-liter engine, the 1.1-liter engine was installed in the Trabant, which was also used in the VW Polo .
After the cost of providing the new engine exploded, there was little money left to renew the model. The initially favored body of a prototype was rejected. Instead, the modernized technology was hidden under the exterior of the Trabant 601 , which had only been modified in detail : the Trabant 1.1 received a new sheet metal hood, a new grille, plastic bumpers, new rear lights and a tank filler neck at the rear right. At first glance, the reinforced front end to accommodate the heavy engine and the new front axle with MacPherson struts and disc brakes cannot be seen . In 1988 and 1989 a few hundred pilot series vehicles were built. At the beginning of 1989, the decisions of the government stipulated that the Trabant 1.1 should initially be produced in parallel with the Trabant 601 and replace it entirely in 1994. The implementation of a new body for the Trabant was planned for 1995/96. With the political change , the situation changed suddenly, and from then on it was only a question of whether and how long the Trabant 1.1 would be produced at all.
In 1990 the press of the time gave an almost schizophrenic picture of the evaluation of the Trabant 1.1. On the one hand, it was portrayed as an unreasonable car, the start of which it was best to prevent series production. At the same time, its official factory presentation and a comment by the IFA general director were published in which he was snubbed by the non-promotional reporting on the Trabant 1.1. The test report of the scientifically sober KFT came to the following assessment: “As early as 1973 [...] we complained about the great times of small steps. Now it's over, and yet you can't get used to the result. As a consolation, the small car with the plastic body from 1964 and the engine from the present [...] really drives much better than it looks. "
On the market
The new model was presented in autumn 1989 and should cost 18,900 marks . However, the car was not welcomed with joy. After 26 years and with a price increase of 6,000 marks, people no longer wanted to accept a car that lagged so far behind western standards. Contrary to the original plans, equipment variants were dispensed with in the 1.1.
When the production of the "IFA Trabant 1.1" car went into series production in May 1990, the contract for monetary, economic and social union with the Federal Republic of Germany had already been signed. With the introduction of the DM in the GDR on July 1, 1990, western cars were available to everyone at short notice. The Trabant had nothing to oppose the image and technology of Western European car manufacturers. The demand was correspondingly low. Larger contingents were only exported to Poland and Hungary due to existing COMECON delivery contracts . The marketing attempts in IVM's sales department as the Caro Tramp 110 in bright colors for less than 6,000 DM also failed. After only twelve months, the last of 39,474 “1.1” left the factory. On April 30, 1991, production of the Trabant ended after 33 years. In 1995 444 Trabant 1.1 Universal were offered as a so-called "Last Edition", which were originally delivered to Turkey, but were stored there in the customs port of Mersin due to the bankruptcy of the importer and never reached their final destination. This sale was also no longer successful, and ultimately the last Trabant in this series was handed over to Udo Lindenberg , who is now using this vehicle for promotional purposes for his musical Hinterm Horizont .
Models
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The Trabant 1.1 was offered in four models:
- Sedan , classic two-door
- Universal , classic three-door station wagon
- Tramp , an open convertible with a folding roof, similar to the Trabant Kübelwagen
- Pickup , small two-door pickup with free loading surface
literature
- Martin Roemers , David Lee: Trabant. The Final Days of Production . Wasmuth, Berlin / Tübingen 2007, ISBN 978-3-8030-3324-6 (83 pages mainly illustrated; bilingual German / English).
Test reports
- Trabant 1.1 sedan: KFT motor vehicle technology 2/1990, p. 49–51 and 3/1990, p. 80–81.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.viertakttrabant.de/viertakttrabant/technik.htm
- ^ Peter Kirchberg: Plastic, sheet metal and planned economy . Nicolai-Verlag, Berlin 1st edition 2000, p. 716
- ↑ Manuell Schramm: Consumption and regional identity in Saxony 1880-2000: the regionalization of consumer goods in the field of tension between nationalization and globalization . Franz Steiner Publishing House. 2002. ISBN 9783515081696 . P. 267
- ↑ KFT motor vehicle technology, issue 5/1990, p. 141
- ↑ Arnd Jürgen Zschiesche, Oliver Errichiello: Secret of Success East: Survival strategies of the best brands - and what managers can learn from them . Jumper. 2009. ISBN 9783834982940 . P. 74 ff.
- ↑ The history of the Trabant. Trabbi-Buggy-Club ´93 eV, accessed on February 23, 2014 .
- ↑ Trabikult: The Last Wave - A new edition of 1.1 ( Memento from January 29, 2014 in the web archive archive.today ), Mitteldeutscher Rundfurnk, August 31, 2011.
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