HO – 1:87 Scale
Monument to the “Racing Cardboard”: the Trabant 601 S de Luxe
For eleven years – until the border opened in 1989 – Trabant 601 S de Luxe remained the car the masses lusted after in the GDR. Production in Zwickau ended for good in 1990. No wonder that WIKING immortalised the “racing cardboard” from Zwickau early on and is now releasing a miniature of this endurance runner with subdued Alpine blue paintwork. It is hard to believe that the citizens of the GDR were expected to pay the Zwickau auto maker the whopping amount of 9,700 East German marks for the then priciest version of the 601 de Luxe since 1978 – not to mention the waiting period that extended to roughly ten years! Exercising automotive modesty was simply inescapable for the average citizen of the GDR. If they managed to acquire a Trabant model, the proud owners of this luxury version were treated to such special features as a narrow tray below the already Spartan instrument panel plus intermittent windscreen wipers and an emergency flasher system.
Year manufacture – 1978-90
Made from Plastic
Made in Germany
Note – Model item, not a toy! Not suitable for children under 14 years.
