January 28, 2008 3:17 PM by Alexander Tallberg Filed Under: Classics
Is this the revival of yet another retro automobile? Don't cheer just yet, we aren't likely to see a restyled Trabant for quite a few years. Unlike its revamped twenty-first century Mini, VW Beetle and Fiat 500 comrades, the original Trabant is perhaps better remembered for its less rosy past. Mobilizing much of East Germany between 1959, when the first-generation Trabant 500 was introduced and 1990, the Trabant quickly became an object of ridicule in the West.
Few cars, however, share the history and the cult status of the Trabant. Soon after the Berlin Wall fell in October 1990, rock band U2 featured Trabants in their concert decoration on the Zoo TV Tour in the early 90s. In September 2007, Herpa, a German manufacturer of miniature car models, presented "Initiative newTrabi" drafts during the Frankfurt Motor Show, in hope to drum up support for a Trabant revival. Herpa has acquired the production rights to the Trabant brand and in September it announced it would consider licensing production rights to a car manufacturer.
Now, in early 2008, Herpa has announced a co-operation agreement with Saxony-based car parts manufacturer IndiKar. According to Herpa, over 90 percent of the polled visitors at the Frankfurt Motor Show expressed interest for a new Trabant. Klaus Schindler, member of the Herpa management says that "we want to pursue the goal to present a modern Trabant successor as original-sized prototype at the IAA 2009."
In the mean time, share your Trabant experiences with us and give us your thoughts on whether Trabant can pull this off?
The development of the Trabant successor in original size is currently being finalized in terms of a Saxon automobile cooperation. And at Herpa, the newTrabi "en miniature" already goes in production.
Presentation at the International Toy Fair in Nuremberg.
The miniature manufacturer Herpa from Dietenhofen / Bavaria premiered the idea of reviving the brand Trabant at the IAA 2007 in Frankfurt and started the initiative newTrabi. The at the IAA presented design study in the 1/10 scale met a worldwide positive response. Over 90 percent of the polled IAA visitors voted with "yes" for a new Trabant. Already four months later, Herpa is now able to lay the foundation to expand the initiative newTrabi in form of a Saxon automobile cooperation.
The technical coordination and inclusion of additional Saxon companies for the development, respectively realization, is taken over by the company IndiKar (Wilkau-Haßlau, Zwickau/Saxony district). The IndiKar Individual Karosseriebau GmbH is a company of the Farmingtons Group and competent as system vendor of specialty vehicles, vehicle components and prototypes for the automobile industry. Management and team of IndiKar under the leadership of director Ronald Gerschewski know and appreciate the tradition of the historic Trabant and can be distinguished by a high level of know-how and innovation in individual automobile development.
"With IndiKar and their network-partners from the auto land Saxony, we want to pursue the goal to present a modern Trabant successor as original-sized prototype at the IAA 2009", so Klaus Schindler, member of the Herpa management and initiator of the newTrabi idea. "The wishes and expectations of the cult car's many enthusiastic fans will be incorporated in the development. The newTrabi is supposed to be an eye-catcher with history and charm, innovative, handy and economical."
Herpa will continue to manage the initiative newTrabi. The marketing and the contact to the car fans will therefore remain in Herpa's hands under the management of the initiator Klaus Schindler.
As first sponsor of the newTrabi Initiative will the Bauconzept Planungsgesellschaft mbH (Lichtenstein/Saxony) play a part. Director Christoph Rabe wants to make a contribution to this - for him also under cultural aspects - important project.
On request of thousands of fans, the Initiative newTrabi goes into the next round. And for all who would like to "have something in hand", the forerunners "en miniature" are already available. Parallel to the initiative's continuation, Herpa starts the production of the newTrabi as miniature model in the classic collector's scale 1/87 (H0), made in Germany and made of "plastic" of course. Herpa will present the newTrabi miniature model at the International Toy Fair in Nuremberg from February 7 - 12, 2008. In April 2008, the model will be available in specialized trade for approx. 7 Euros.
xLumino
January 28, 2008 4:24:21 PM
Oh the love it AND hate it vehicle of the old GDR. Of course, I was more hated this car. It was so senceless in this time. Safetyfeatures about 1960, Emissions about 1961 ;) And small...very small. But other then a car for the complete family. We were partly 6 in such a cell.
And now the new one. I see, it has nothing to do with the old one. It's better in every way. It could fit the time and can become a new cultmobile. People who like it, whould buy it 'cause they like it and not only 'cause there is no other car to choose. I whould be happy to see this one on our streets. But Please with all modern standarts and some genial details!
So ein Mist! Ein neuer Ansatz zur Verklärung dieser Unrechtsdiktatur! Deutschland ade, nach der Hessen-Schlappe gibt es keine Zukunft mehr. 2050 wird es in Deutschland mehr Ausländer als Deutsche geben, und wie jeder an der Welt ablesen kann bedeutet dies Armut und Unterdrückung.
The new Trabant shares the name but that seems to be about all it does with the old Trabant. Good on Herpa though, I wonder if it will ever get past the concept stage. I think with todays liking of all things retro, it would do ok, but not like the new MINI.
Herpa builds lots of high quality model cars, and I think they should do the same from now on and forget about building a new Trabant. I think it makes no sense but not because a Trabant it's not an icon. It's just because this brand has a total lack of glamour
Oh the love it AND hate it vehicle of the old GDR. Of course, I was more hated this car. It was so senceless in this time. Safetyfeatures about 1960, Emissions about 1961 ;) And small...very small. But other then a car for the complete family. We were partly 6 in such a cell.
And now the new one. I see, it has nothing to do with the old one. It's better in every way. It could fit the time and can become a new cultmobile. People who like it, whould buy it 'cause they like it and not only 'cause there is no other car to choose. I whould be happy to see this one on our streets. But Please with all modern standarts and some genial details!