For most people, cars are simply a tool – but for people like us, they’re an extension of who we are. A petrol-drinking representation of our own personal taste and style. Never has this been more evident than in Sid Crowfoot’s two-stroke-powered Trabant, which we spotted at the recent Players Show in the UK. It wasn’t immaculate by any means, nor could it be considered even remotely fast, but it had a presence and a personality that was just asking to be captured on camera.
Sid has been around the UK scene for years now, having built a string of air-cooled VWs along with years spent competing in the BDC (British Drift Championship) before becoming an official judge over the last couple of seasons. Although he’s been through many high-powered drift cars in his time, Sid has always had a thing for the weird, the quirky and the forgotten. So when he found a 1987 (that’s not a typo by the way…) VEB Sachsenring Trabant 601 Kombi for sale online six months ago, Sid decided he liked the East German car’s personality enough to save it from certain death.
The ‘Trabbi’ was purchased off someone who had tried to save it after finding it rotting away in a garden, but who did not have the patience to finish the job. This was good news for Sid, as it meant that some crucial rust repairs had already been carried out on the car’s monocoque frame. The body panels, while sporting a fairly serious patina, were in pretty good shape thanks to it being made from Duroplast, also known as recycled plastic.
For those that might not have taken too much interest in extremely budget, inefficient and questionably-styled relics from the Soviet era (we’re not blaming you), the Trabant was first manufactured in USSR-controlled East Germany back in 1957 and remained largely uncharged until the swift boot of reality kicked not long after the fall of the Berlin Wall. During those years, if you lived anywhere near East Germany and you were lucky enough to own a car, it was probably a Trabant.
During the ’90s, selling one of these smokey 600kg machines could fetch you around one German mark, so Trabants were often abandoned, like this one, in back gardens or empty fields. These days though, there is a small market for the car, and they are no longer throwaway items.
Sid had no intention of restoring his Trabant, he simply wanted to make it a nice-driving, solid car on the inside and a weathered, story-telling trooper that would suit his personality and sense of style on the outside. Unfortunately, the car was still a Trabant, and as the words ‘nice-driving’ and ‘reliable’ aren’t too often used when talking about these cars, work would need to be done.
When it was first pulled off the trailer, the engine barely ran. The carburettor needed to be completely rebuilt, but more importantly, the previous owner had tried to move the fuel tank to the rear of the car and use a fuel pump to get the gas to the carb, which did not go down well. In factory form, the Trabant doesn’t use a fuel pump, but instead uses gravity to feed gas (and of course a little oil, which Sid needs to add each time he fills up) into the tiny 600cc two-stroke motor. This means that the tank needs to sit above the motor, so Sid made some repairs and moved it back to its factory position.
Our favourite thing about this car has got to be the way it sounds – a raspy, ‘ring-ding-ding’ two-stroke noise that you might normally associate with John Connor being chased by a T1000 in a big rig. Sid’s Trabant is a little louder than most thanks to a stainless exhaust system that exits through the front guard. There’s not too much you can do about those stains down the side of the car either, this engine is built to smoke!
Low & Slow
Once the car was back up and running like it should, Sid moved on to getting it looking just right for his tastes, and that meant going low. Trabants use a transverse leaf spring front and rear with shocks mounted on top, so the factory leafs were swapped for heavily-modified replacements, which drop the car well over four inches, while the shocks were changed out for much shorter eight-inch longer replacements.
The factory wheels, originally 13×4 inches, have been doubled in width, and now measure 13×7 in the front and 13×8 in the rear.
Inside the car, Sid has added a few touches here and there to make things a little more interesting…
Like the door trims fashioned from hessian sacks, an old school sport steering wheel, and the front bench seat – which was originally the rear seat from a Citroën C2.
With its roof rack, its heavily-weathered body and its custom touches, the Trabant is sitting pretty close to how Sid wants it. He says it attracts plenty of attention where ever it goes, especially from people who originally hail from Eastern Europe – usually with a story to tell about how their parents or uncle owned one.
Running 26 horsepower and 38ft/lb torque, Sid’s Trabant is about as far from a rocketship as you can get, but that doesn’t matter to him. “It takes about 21 seconds to reach 60mph, and it has low torque so even gradual hills slow it down – but it somehow doesn’t matter,” he says. “It’s so charming ‘brapping’ along smoking from the exhaust and popping on over-run. I smile every time it fires up and I find myself grinning ear-to-ear when driving it.”
Thought the Trabant might not be able to pull the skin off custard, it’s like the plucky little runt of the litter; the one you know has its flaws and issues, but you love it anyway – not despite those problems, but because of them.
While this car is an extension of Sid’s personality, he isn’t entirely faithful, and is also currently building a Mazda RX-8 drift car to attack the BDC once again with his team mates at TeamS1. This means he probably won’t be having too much spare time to spend on his beloved Trabant over winter, but no matter what anyone else says, it doesn’t need it – this little runt is perfect just the way it is.
Peter Kelly
Instagram: pedey_kenmeri_creative
pedey@speedhunters.com
OFFICIAL SPEEDHUNTERS SUPPLIERS
Cute? I don't see why this car is relevant here, at the least I was hoping for something cool under the hood...
e36techniks Who sais you need horsepower to make a statement? Speedhunters isn't just about speed (although the name may be misleading) it's about car lovers in general, every kind of car lover
Itchys2 e36techniks I certainly didn't say that either, but the common trend for feature cars is a good helping of performance and/or craftsmanship. This car is most definitely lacking in both.
As for car lovers of all kinds I would have to disagree. My roommate loves the hell out of his stock Honda Fit and cares for it religiously, but I doubt you will ever see a car like that featured here. Maybe if he left it on the front lawn for a decade, then cut the springs in half, and sticker bombed it???
The Soviet-Rod >;) I love that little chunk taken out of the driver side fender, modifies turning radius? hahah
e36techniks Itchys2 It's interesting and is a significant car to motoring in general. Most people I know with interests in cars / engineering / industrial things are especially interested in Soviet / Communist things too.
Considering the interest in older cars a concours condition OR "period correct" sticker bombed Fit may well be of interest in 2038.
lol 2 stroke, sick. the rotary powered by pistons. loving the fender dump exhaust
e36techniks Mate It Has Personality Thats All It Needs
this little car is awesome i appreciate the love this man has for his car and for thinking outside the box to modify this little thing kinda reminds me of a 2 door type 3 square back if only you shoved a dirt bike motor in it lol but much respect to the mate that built it and respect to speedhunters for featuring a car that doesn't have a 1000 horsepower or a v8 swap or some other run of the mill crap don't get me wrong we all love that too but car culture is a lot more than just that
I really appreciate what you do at Speedhunters and I try not to moan about the type of cars you feature because, although I'm a Ford fan through and through I'm also a car fan but really? Seriously? You came across this and thought 'we have to feature this'?
Complete pos. the fact that east Germany was a horrible place to live during Russia's rule. The Only car they could buy was a trabant. Waiting list for that pos was 16yrs, that's how slow the factory made them. Terrible quality. all the trabants were white and the only Blue one was a special edition.
These cars don't deserve to be featured anywhere. Speed hunters sucks now. Hypebeast crap
Lol sh suks Harsh words, but we appreciate the honest feedback. You're forgetting that one man's trash is another man's treasure though! Sid has his own personal style and we think it's cool that he took the time to rescue this and turn it into a daily driver. It's got charm and it puts smiles on people's faces.
Great article, I love stuff like this. Keep it coming SH
@Sonny Jim Hi there, appreciate your feedback. Sid's Trabant is simply a bit of fun - a great example to show that you can take a car, no matter how unloved, and make it your own. What's more, the car is solid and well-looked after underneath all that patina. Obviously this type of car isn't our bread and butter at Speedhunters, but there's nothing to say we can't run a small story on something a little odd now and again, even if only to serve as inspiration for those looking to create something different.
Lol sh suks
If you know that the last form of the body is from the 60s then you see this car was not so bad. Biggest Problem was not to develop more modern cars, banned by the gouvernment.
Sorry, but this is rubbish. I'm from east germany and had an beautiful time as child there. Its right, that you have to wait for an car up to 15 years, but ther are more than only Trabants (Wartburg, Lada, Skoda to name a few). The Trabant was the cheapest car, the reason why many people drove it. And there are more than one color, depending on the year there are 4 or 5 colors, not so much as today and not so beutiful as today but there are. You have to search for parts, but most Trabants lives longer than their western counterparts
Lol sh suks
If you know that the last form of the body is from the 60s then you see this car was not so bad. Biggest Problem was not to develop more modern cars, banned by the gouvernment.
Sorry, but this is rubbish. I'm from east germany and had an beautiful time as child there. Its right, that you have to wait for an car up to 15 years, but ther are more than only Trabants (Wartburg, Lada, Skoda to name a few). The Trabant was the cheapest car, the reason why many people drove it. And there are more than one color, depending on the year there are 4 or 5 colors, not so much as today and not so beutiful as today but there are. You have to search for parts, but most Trabants lives longer than their western counterparts
e36techniks what's not cool about a ring-ding-ding blue-smokin' piston-slappin' 2 stroke!
Personality goes a long way......
Such a cool little car and now I can't stop thinking about putting a little 12A or 13B bridgeport in one!
Personality goes a long way......
Such a cool little car and now I can't stop thinking about putting a little 12A or 13B bridgeport in one!
CianHa lol Bigtime
Junkyard material. Poor choice by the editor in chief. Good start, boss.
SnoozinRichy e36techniks just about everything...
Hey this is my car thanks to Peter and speedhunters for the feature love it ! And ...... Haters gon hate lol
Turbohaus Hating!
Thanks for the response but I'm not convinced it was feature worthy.
Just a suggestion... There are so many incredible cars on the Ford scene and they never seem to get featured, I can only think of one feature you've done in a very long time. Maybe take a look on Passionford and start hunting for speed
@TROLLS ROYCE props for the username still
Itchys2 e36techniks Couldn't agree move. Bravo sir!
I absolutely love beaters. Nice job Sid. Keep your flag held high
I absolutely love beaters. Nice job Sid. Keep your flag held high
This car oozes personality!! Love it!! And because its a Trabant, it makes it better!!
Trying too hard....
Dont you read this website's tagline/slogan/header? "Car culture at Large", not "Some particular car culture where the car featured must be fast and lowered" duh
Dont you read this website's tagline/slogan/header? "Car culture at Large", not "Some particular car culture where the car featured must be fast and lowered" duh
Not realey trying to hard the car looks how it was found bar the lowering and wheels and it had no interior so ... I'm not worried if people like it because it's mine and I do
If you like it cool, if you don't cool, not looking for approval just enjoying myself because I'm weird and I like weird shit
Not realey trying to hard the car looks how it was found bar the lowering and wheels and it had no interior so ... I'm not worried if people like it because it's mine and I do
If you like it cool, if you don't cool, not looking for approval just enjoying myself because I'm weird and I like weird shit
Vintage Soviet stance! Please feature more cars like this, I think Russia has lots of stanced Ladas in their country ;D
Vintage Soviet stance! Please feature more cars like this, I think Russia has lots of stanced Ladas in their country ;D
Vintage Soviet stance! Please feature more cars like this, I think Russia has lots of stanced Ladas in their country ;D
Anyways you can check out my personal favorite site http://lowdaily.ru/ where they feature lots of soviet cars
It looks like a comic car. Small, fun and full of personality. Goes well with the owner's beard. Also good for trolling, you don't always get to see a cool Soviet-hothatchback
This car is cool -- It's different -- And it does what it does best,,, ruffles the feathers of the ingrained purists -- SO you gots to love it !!!!!!
I think the only thing it needs is a Kawasaki H2 heart transplant with the triple expansion chambers coming out the side,,, that would make it a true killer....
Please never make this site into the "gots to be a certain blue car, with the green rims, lowered exactly 55mm, that was produced from a factory on a tuesday afternoon with $25,ooo dollars of chit I can buy from anywhere bolted onto it" site..... out
Geil, Trabbi.....Grüße aus dem OSTEN
(greets from east-germany)
Geil, Trabbi.....Grüße aus dem OSTEN
(greets from east-germany)
Bima Leksono Sometimes I have to check and see if that is still there people seem to miss it so often!
Peter_Kelly It is not that this thing is odd or anything like that, since there were over 3 million made. It is that it is every scenester stereotype wrapped into one. Low and broken looking suspension? Check. Random amalgamation of stickers? Check. Fake bullet holes (half expected a shocker sticker)? Check. Roof rack? Check. Stupid mods to garner attention (rope bumper, chain bumper, fender exhaust)? Check. If you were trying to just feature scenester mobiles, you have succeeded.
By the way, the car is solid underneath because it was made to be that way. It is the most ecologically offending car to ever be produced. It pollutes terribly and is made of a plastic, bakelite material that will never biodegrade. I rest assured that if it were possible to rust the hood, the owner would have done that for maximum scene points.
SpeedHunters looking for hard parkers.
it's been a long time i haven't seen trabant's engine bay, i use to play with my grandpa's one, it's also nice to drive too, only around 600kg and when you rew that 2-stroker it's really fun.
Turbohaus This thing is rad, any place I could read more about it? Would like to know what exhaust was used and also what that red fluid bottle is under the hood?
i know you guys are thinking it....ill just say it LS SWAP WEWT!! =P
or lol rocket bunny kit it lmao...
e36techniks pushes e36 out to front lawn and turns on sprinklers with dreams of Speedhunters stardom
All the haters need to relax, step back and build something better.
You spend so much time telling others what they should like, drive, love, hate, and dont spend any time on your own projects. If I am wrong where are your cars, trucks, etc that we can look up on in wonderment?
Just driving a Hyundai Elantra telling others how to mod your car?
You are doing it wrong, this guy is doing t right. Bringing a smile to his own face while you make poopy faces in your minivans. This guy and his car are full of win, and the basis for what we do, mod our cars to OUR tastes.
Those tail light wing things... epic! Didn't notice them at first glance.
Those tail light wing things... epic! Didn't notice them at first glance.
@Whoshot I can never understand this argument, sounds stupid to me.
I quite like this build, especially because I love small old wagons. Those tail fins are smexy too.
HOWEVER, what I REALLY wanna see is that Art Car wrapped thing in the background of the Third-last photo on the second page (is it just me or does that look like an Escort Cossy).
SS6K It's an E36 BMW and I think it and another were featured on here not so long ago.
Merc Turbohaus Love it. I think people don't like it because they don't have the guts to do something like this or be seen driving it because it might hurt their swag. Gotta keep up with the Jonses in the car scene, and if you don't then no e-fame for you.....just do what you wanna do!
@Sonny Jim Out of the 15 features on the homepage I only click on maybe half to have a look. I don't click on the things I don't care for, you should try doing the same. It really shouldn't bother you, you're not forced to look through this article to get to the next, so move on.
Also, too many people are caught up on the SPEED part of this websites name, it's just a name, it doesn't mean they MUST feature everything with power.
This is a serious question to those of you that have come in here to complain about the lack of SPEED in this feature and to whinge and hate, please answer if you read this.
Why is it that you'll click on this story and complain and sook about this site being all about power, speed, racing and fast cars only(in your opinion).....but you don't get in the feature on the little Honda Kei van and do the same? You must have targeted this car for some reason to lay down your whinge and I'm curious to know why?
Spaghetti SS6K yep it was already featured a little bit ago. search E36 in the search bar and itll come up
needs a k swap
I'm glad you festured Trabant. It was sort of Mini for people from eastern block (btw notice the Mini Headligts). Many people there doing swaps ,and even Midship conversion, so try dig up in the internet.
Maybe not everyone knows (US readers, no offence) that people in eastern block cannot just go to the dealer and buy a car. Not much of these cars left, maybe it was not as big icon as Mini ,but it was really important. People smiling when see a Trabi on the streets surrounded by crappy quashqais and other ass-moving sh*t. Older people sometimes asking about it ,says they also own one, telling the story, about losing the roof, opening the hood while driving... Trabi is part of eastern history, so resect it for a little
I've heard that best parts source is in Hungary. If you're going to have a trip to Budapest, you propably see many of them, as well as Wartburg-s
I only click on the things I'm interested in too. I clicked on this hoping there would be something cool about it but all it is is a terrible car that's been made worse.
I just think that there are so many awesome cars out there that haven't been featured that the barrel doesn't need to be scraped.
I for one love the trabbi feature... but im a bit biased as I own three of them here in colorado...
@Charlie nice, you live in Colorado (USA) and have three Trabant, two Skodas and a Wartburg 353?? nice
The seat is from a Citroën 2CV, not from a C2
marshall banana yes, we have a varied collection of east european machines here in colorado USA.. we are about 20 miles north of Denver. the wartburg is no longer with us though, we sold it. the current collection includes 3 trabbi's, skoda 120l, skoda 136 rapid, polski fiat 126. and motorcycles Dnepr MT16, 3 MZ TS150 1 MZ TS250, Jawa 559, CZ 472 CZ150, Jawa DT500 speedway. a freind here also has a trabbi and a wartburg 353 tourist as well as Jawa 634 and CZ 125.
@Matiz
I really hope Speedhunster will visit Poland some day, we really have the mix of all the comunists, jdm, cult, euro and us scene here right now.
This car is now for sale here : http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/175012/1987-trabant-ratbant-2000-essex
And there you have it: Trabant finally made it on the vintage car lists. And when you think that few years ago, people laughed their asses when they saw one on the streets. Back them you could sold those cars for few bucks, or let them rot in your garden, as a hen-roost. We even had a joke: "Q: what's the longest car in the world? A: Trabant, with 15 meters: 3 meters the car, 12 the exhaust smoke. Now it's another story, you can't buy a Trabi for few bucks anymore, you need to pay a good amount for them. Like people forgot all about them saying "it's a crappy car", "it's made of cardboard", "isn't safe at all", etc. I, myself, loved them way back, when I was young, and always dreamed of having a "racing-modified" Trabant.