Just want to post this car although it has been ridicule for its spartan look and the smoky exhaust and the pollution it produce. I have to admit that I admire the simplicity of this car for short distance driving or just a collectors item of East German history. The body panels is made of Duroplast ( a form of plastic containing resin strengthened by wool or cotton). Did not provide much crash protection, although in crash tests it has actually proved to be superior to some modern hatch back. It only weigh 1350 lbs because there are no oil pump, water pump, timing belt, distributor, thermostat, radiator, or fan bels to break or wear out. Durable, simple and eminently repairable.

Although the original Trabant is a 2 stroke 2 cyclinder engine, the more modern trabant has a 1.1 model with a VW Polo four stroke engine. In 1997, the Trabant was celebrated for passing the "Elch Test" Moose test", a 60 km/h swerve manoeuvre slalom, without toppling over like the Mercedes-Benz A-Class did infamously.

Trabant history:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trabant

Trabant specs
http://trabant.shocauto.com/trabant_specs.htm

Trabant review
http://www.carsurvey.org/review_26240.html