The Trabant - Trabant means 'satellite' in German - is an unpretentious relic of the communist era. Originally designed as a motorcycle the Trabant was first found only in East Germany, where it was produced, but due to its popularity quickly spread throughout the countries within the "Iron Curtain". It was essentially the Model-T of the East, allowing citizens of Warsaw Pact countries to stray from the rails and travel under their own steam. Granted, with an ultimate top speed of 90 KmH (56 MPH) they were not straying anywhere quickly. The inherent simplicity of the Trabant -the engine can be replaced in fifteen minutes- allowed it to stay in production from 1957 to 1991. The 601 model we are taking began in 1963 and remained virtually unchanged for nearly thirty years, until its discontinuation in 1990. The "Trabi", as it came to be known, has a steel frame, but the body is made from plasticised cotton waste, called Duroplast. It is powered by a 600cc two-stroke engine which delivers approximately 26hp. Thus, in effect we are taking an over-sized lunchbox, powered by a glorified lawnmower engine, around more than half the world's circumference. Our three Trabis will not be without some alterations. They will be specially modified by the Trabant-Wartburg Klub of Hungary to endure the long distance and rugged terrain they will encounter. We will also be carrying a spare engine for each car in the trunk (we're not kidding). |
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Gabor, of the Trabant Klub Hungary, holding a 60lbs Trabant Engine. The air-cooled Trabant engine is shown above in full. It is incredibly simple with no valves, no distributor cap, no cam shaft, etc. |
The impetus for using a Trabant came first from John Lovejoy's obsession with the vehicle after seeing its ubiquitous presence on his first trip to East Berlin in 1989, shortly after the Wall fell. In the summer of 2006 John Lovejoy and John Drury - looking for a cheap alternative to the traditional rail travel of Europe - purchased a Trabant 601 in Budapest, Hungary for $60 and managed to somehow coax the slow-moving automobile through seven countries in Europe from Budapest to Paris. The amount of attention the Trabi received along the way prompted the boys to dream up more useful purposes for the eye-catching auto. Still moved by their experience fundraising for M'lop Tapang, the John's realized that to attempt a cross-continental journey in the most unlikely-of-vessels was the ideal fund-raising tool for giving back to the communities of Cambodia. |
 The Trabant the Johns painted and used to drive through Europe outside Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany. |
