"Cé hé sin" (michael-m-mouse)
05/28/2016 at 16:43 • Filed to: Trabant, VEB Sachsenring
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"Cé hé sin" (michael-m-mouse)
05/28/2016 at 16:43 • Filed to: Trabant, VEB Sachsenring | 0
| 10 |
I had been exploring the possibilities of taking a week’s holiday in the old DDR and while there hiring a Trabant for a day, something which is quite a thing in some places.
There are however drawbacks.
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(1) Death by violent impact. The Trabi was famously made of Duroplast, a material made of cotton waste and various phenols. In fact only the outer panels were Duroplast, the inner structure was steel as so (and note the rust):
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As Clarkson once said, speed never killed anybody. Sudden stops are what kills you. Sudden stops in a car whose outer panels have the crash resistance of recycled cotton waste and whose inner panels preceded crumple zones by several decades are contra indicated.
(2) Death by immolation. The Trabi economised on the fitting of a fuel pump by fitting the tank higher than the engine, because gravity is free and fuel pumps less so. The tank therefore had to go here:
Yes, it’s just above the engine. Yes, engines get hot. Yes, petrol has a low flash point. Yes, the battery is just alongside. Get your refuelling wrong and things get very nasty.
(3) Both of the above. There was a fuel tap below the tank to prevent the fuel flooding the engine when stopped. If you crashed the car and managed to survive the impact the fuel would still flow onto the engine.
All in all my holiday plans may need looking into.
duurtlang
> Cé hé sin
05/28/2016 at 16:50 |
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Oh come one. The answer is simple: Don’t crash. If you adhere to this simple rule, what could possibly go wrong?
Klaus Schmoll
> Cé hé sin
05/28/2016 at 16:51 |
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Man or mouse? I basically grew up in the backseat of a 601 wagon, and I lived to tell the tale. Just don’t crash! It’s as simple as that.
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Cé hé sin
> Klaus Schmoll
05/28/2016 at 16:55 |
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I remember my small brother sitting in the front and between the two front seats of a Cortina on a cushion. No seatbelts, crumple zones, airbags...
He’s still with us.
Meanwhile and in answer to the question, mouse.
Berang
> Cé hé sin
05/28/2016 at 17:04 |
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I’ve seen worse.
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Cé hé sin
> Berang
05/28/2016 at 17:58 |
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Indeed, but we don’t know the speed.
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Berang
> Cé hé sin
05/28/2016 at 18:00 |
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trabi speed
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Cé hé sin
> Berang
05/28/2016 at 18:15 |
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“At the end of production in 1989, the Trabant delivered 19 kW (26 horsepower) from a 600 cc (37 cu in) displacement. It took 21 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h ( 62 mph ) and had a top speed of 100 km/h ( 62 mph ).”
Per Wiki. Not with me onboard it wouldn’t though.
According to figures elsewhere it took 37 (!) sec to 100 and could eventually get to 110. Even more not with me onboard.
Bluecold
> Cé hé sin
05/28/2016 at 18:50 |
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The VW Beetle, Fiat Panda, 2CV and others were ingenious little cars that helped populations obtain cars. The Trabants were hateful little cars and a product of a malfunctioning system. They deserve no glorification, and I think any rewriting of the history books on those crapcans, by turning them into some sort of capitalist retromobile is perverse and wrong.
If you want to tour the DDR in an old car, get an old Mercedes. They are about as expensive now, infinitely better, and full of charm as well.
That's gonna leave a mark!
> Cé hé sin
05/28/2016 at 21:18 |
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I was going to say it was a test for the 5 mph bumper regulation for the US market.
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That's gonna leave a mark!
> Cé hé sin
05/28/2016 at 21:20 |
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I remember a guy that won a Russian roulette contest, I still don’t want to play.