Trabant 1.1 Universal Last Edition 444

Are you thinking of buying a Trabant 1.1 LAST EDITION 444?

Now this really is something unique. Trabant is the remarkable brand name of a car from the former East German factory VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerk Zwickau. In Zwickau, that goes without saying. A rather special name, if you ask us. It was chosen in 1957 through a competition, after the car had initially been sold under nothing more than its type designation.

They weren't the most creative bunch over at those state-owned enterprises. The name is actually rather fitting: on the one hand, it means something like 'companion' or 'mate'. Many people regarded their Trabant as part of the family. On the other hand, the name refers to 'Erdtrabant', in other words 'satellite'.

The car was meant to show that the GDR was keeping pace with technological progress. After all, it was the Soviet Union that launched the first satellite in 1957. The Trabant 1.1 is the very last model in the Trabant series, produced by VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwickau (from 1990 Sachsenring Automobilwerke GmbH). After costs spiralled during the preparations for the new engine (which no doubt had something to do with the Berlin Wall), there was precious little money left for updating the model.

The bodywork of a prototype that had originally been favoured was rejected by the Vorstand. Instead, the modernised technology was hidden beneath the only slightly altered appearance of the Trabant 601: so the Trabant 1.1 got a new steel bonnet, a new grille, plastic bumpers, new rear lights and a fuel filler on the right-hand side at the back.

So much for pioneering spirit. Not visible at first glance are the reinforced front end for fitting the relatively heavy engine and the disc brakes.

In 1995, a further 444 units of the Trabant 1.1 Universal were sold as a so-called "Last Edition", having originally been delivered to Turkey. There, however, the little cars were put into storage in the customs port of Mersin owing to the bankruptcy of the importer, and they would never reach their final destination. In the end, the last Trabant of this series was handed over to Udo Lindenberg, who used it to promote his musical 'Hinterm Horizont'. That Udo, honestly. Anyway.

As you may already sense, the beautiful Trabant we are offering is one of those 444 that were transported to Turkey back then. That is why it has just 6,817 original kilometres on the clock. All 444 of those Trabants spent a considerable time in the port, because it was not until 2013 that this splendid example found its way to the Netherlands.

For the reasons above, you'll appreciate that the interior, the exterior and the bodywork are all in as-new condition. Since 2013 the car has been kept in a warm, dry collection. Vulnerable parts have been greased to prevent ageing. In short: the car has been kept in optimal condition by people who know what they're doing. We ourselves get rather excited about this.

It's a piece of history standing in our showroom. On top of that, we have to admit it drives astonishingly well. A world of difference compared with the Trabant fitted with the previous engine. And of course the car is adorable in its execution, the white exterior combined with the leatherlook brown upholstery. It is unique of its kind.

Right now it's shining away in Katwijk. White, proud, and with that stubborn little Trabant snout that says: I know you don't take me seriously, but I'm still here.

Some cars you buy to drive. This one you buy to own.

Special features

• Last Edition, one of the very last 444 examples produced
• Original Urkunde (certificate of ownership) with serial number included
• Only 6,817 km since new
• Imported from Germany in 2013
• Four owners, all private personal use

With a Bratwurst in one hand and a piece of history in the other

Nick Slinger

Copywriter · HooG Selections