Archived · Classic Cars · 2 min read
AWZ P50/60 and Trabant 500/600
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Historical article recovered from a Wayback capture dated 2015-04-11.
AWZ P50/60 - Trabant 500/600
1957 - 1964
Country:
Engine:
2 cylinder 2 stroke
Capacity:
500cc
Power:
18bhp
Transmission:
4 spd. man
Top Speed:
70 km/h (claimed)
Number Built:
132,000+ (P50 / P60)
Collectability:
AWZ P50/60 and Trabant 500/600
Reviewed by Unique Cars and Parts
Our Rating: 2
Introduction
To best understand the Trabant, you have to first understand the circumstances from which it was born. Post war Europe, both sides of the iron curtain, needed a form of cheap personal transportation, this demand being met by motorcycles and mopeds (the latter most successfully by the wonderful Vespa’s).
But understandably many people wanted something a little more substantial, something that would afford protection from the bitter cold of the winter months.
The micro “bubble car” was soon to be developed in the West, most notably by manufacturers such as Heinkel and Messerschmitt. The P50 was the first of the AWZ’s to carry the “Trabant” badge, the design selected from various ideas submitted by its factory workers.
3375mm in length, 1500mm wide and 1395mm high, the Trabant was larger than the Goggomobil T300 Limousine (2900 x 1280x 1310 mm) and even more powerful, and was styled in typical 1950’s fashion.
From 1962 the engine size was increased to 600cc, and the exterior received a mild makeover - naturally enough the car was remaned the P60. This version would remain in production until 1964, when it would be replaced by the P601, after more than 132,000 P50’s and P60’s had been manufactured.
