Once East Germany’s answer to the Volkswagen, the Trabant symbolized freedom and mobility in the GDR. But as other countries advanced, the Trabi stayed the same—earning nicknames like “Racing Cardboard” due to its Duroplast body and a smoky two-stroke engine. Once ridiculed, the Trabant became a symbol of the Berlin Wall’s fall, and today, it’s a classic car collecting favorite. How did this underpowered machine go from joke to icon? Join us as we explore its remarkable journey.
Report: Vaishali Dinakaran
Camera: M. Borowski, J. Loveniers, E. Vidarte
Editing: Kirsten Jungclaus
► Liked the video? Let us know by giving us a thumbs up!
► Want to see more? Make sure to subscribe
► Check our website: https://dw.com/REV
REV - The Global Auto and Mobility Show from Deutsche Welle
00:00 - Introduction
02:29 - Breaking through the Berlin Wall
03:06 - Birgit Kinder - Painted the Trabi on the Berlin Wall
07:09 - Trabant in pop culture
08:03 - Uwe Schmidt - master Trabant mechanic at former authorised Trabi workshop
14:24 - The Trabant in motorsport
15:23 - Monika Petzold - Rally Driver
21:42 - Where it all began - Zwickau & the August Horch Museum
26:40 - Trabi prototypes and the Trabant 1.1
27:51 - The Trabi goes global
28:22 - Jose Goncalves and the Oostblok Meeting
32:17 - Marc Willems and the Miniature Trabant Museum in Kerkom
37:33 - Conclusion
#DW #DWREV