Concept Cars Jonathan | 22 Oct 2009
Trabant returns. Saves planet.
Every other week there seems to be a new electric car concept at the moment. Possibly the wackiest yet is the Trabant nT, which surfaced at Frankfurt last month. Remember the original? As the saying goes there are some things that are best left forgotten, so this one did catch my attention. Who’d revive the car that has for decades symbolised the Cold War and East German industrial failure?
That accolade goes to Herpa, a German company more used to building scale models. And they’re deadly serious about the Trabi. It’s powered by a 45kW electric motor and should be good for up to around 130 km/h for 150 miles on a single charge. Herpa is working with IndiKar, a German parts manufacturer which built the prototype, and they’re looking for investment to enable them to move the project into full production by 2012. I rekon they’ll get it even though – quite miraculously – they’ve actually managed to make the styling even more ghastly than the car it emulates. Clearly a lot of effort went into this and I hope they succeed. I really do.
Now I’m sorry SAIC, but you’re missing a trick here. There is a future for Longbridge, but in these energy conscious times it’s not the MG TF. It’s an electrified Austin Allegro.