Trabi/IFA Chat Forum

I get the "It's the Harry Potter Car!" quite a bit. "Is it a Fiat?" is common also. Here in Chicago, many Eastern Europeans know exactly what it is, often with fond remembrances.


Sadly, most younger people I run across have not heard of East Germany, the Berlin Wall or the Eastern Bloc, but also many have not even head of the Soviet Union!

the town near to where i live has a large polish population they know what a trabi is and if i stop at the lights near the food shops they look at it out the doors or windows,im not sure if theyre looking at them fondly or thinking look at that idiot we used to have to have those as most of them now drive audis,vws and beemers

That is exactly the response mine gets, also, "Is it a Hillman/Crosley/Mini-Cooper?" A lot of younger people even have no idea what the Cold War was. (Lucky them...)

But the car sure does attract attention, especially if I leave it parked where I work. The public are all around it, taking pictures, pointing at it. I have a little sign in the back telling what it is, and what year it was made, but most people are stunned to learn that little cars with tailfins were still being made anywhere in the world in 1989. I had a family from Zwickau last summer just about go crazy trying to figure out how a Trabi made it to America. Luckily for them, I happened to be going back to my car and met with them. They were just about in tears, because both the husband's and wife's parents had worked for Sachsenring building Trabants.

I don't think I've posted my Anglia to the forums yet. I will admit, I am one of those who wanted an Anglia because of Harry Potter, but I've grown to appreciate them for what they were before the movie. Mine has been restored to factory original colors, and I still have the original engine, transmission etc. The interior got upgraded a bit but I retained everything I need to return it to stock if I want to.
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Your anglia looks very nice

When I turned 65 a couple of years ago, me and my partner drove route 66 from Chicago to LA. I can't remember exactly where but somewhere in the Midwest there was a junkyard at the roadside and what attracted me to it was a Ford Anglia stuck on a pole high in the air. I have a picture somewhere which I will add. Also across the road another junkyard had 5 Austin Metropolitans. I always wanted one of those, still do. It would be cool to do route 66 in a Trabi or Anglia or Metropolitan. We did the trip in a boring Dodge modern saloon. When I was a copper in my youth our patrol cars were Ford Anglias. Chased many a villain in those. Still watch a UK TV programme called Heartbeat about 1960s cops in Yorkshire which has Anglias and other period classic cars.

They have made them also from Lego....
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You could have done with the v8 one I tried buying you wouldn't have had any probs catching crims in mk11 jags

There have been several anglias fitted with ford cosworth engines. In such a small/light car they must be seriously fast

This was the one I saw on route 66 near Gallup, New Mexico. Last car I expected to see there.[ATTACH=full]4924[/ATTACH]

Austin Metropolitan. Love one of these for route 66[ATTACH=full]4925[/ATTACH]

If i was doing route 66 it would have to be something 100% american ,fifties, with huge tail fins ,acres of chrome and a BIG V8.

the nash looks cute but is small im with mbeamish it would have to be classic american

Went to local village show in my 353 and met with friend in trabant kombi , not great attendance but i think having it on easter saturday was a bad move. I have been using my wartburg to work last few weeks as well . It is a very practical daily driver as soft suspension is great for pot holes and speed bumps

That would make it great on UK roads then?