The Trabant 1.1 is the fourth and final series production model of the East German Trabant series, made by VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwickau. Unlike its predecessors, which have a two-stroke engine, the Trabant 1.1 has a four-stroke engine. In total, 39,474 units of the Trabant 1.1 were made from May 1990 to 30 April 1991.[1][2] This makes the 1.1 the rarest Trabant model.
Most Trabant 1.1 were exported to Poland and Hungary. In Germany, it did not sell very well; in 1990, the 1.1 saloon was offered at a price of DM 10,887,[3] which, at the time, was considered overpriced.
Technical description
The Trabant 1.1 is a small compact car that uses the front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout. It was made in limousine, universal, and tramp body styles. The limousine is a two-door saloon, the universal a three-door estate, and the tramp is a doorless ATV off-road-like vehicle with a canvas roof.[4]
Like its predecessors, the 1.1 has a self-supporting body with a steel frame, and body parts made of Duroplast. In front, the Trabant has independent suspension with MacPherson struts and triangular control arms; in rear, it has independent suspension with coil springs mated with hydraulic shock absorbers and diagonal control arms. The braking system is a dual-circuit hydraulic system with disc brakes on the front, and drums on the rear wheels. A rack-and-pinion system is used for steering. The wheelsize is 13 in.
The Trabant is powered by a carburetted, water-cooled, Barkas B820 four-cylinder, OHC, Otto engine (a version of the VW EA 111 engine produced under licence). This engine displaces 1.05 litres and is rated at 30 kW and produces a maximum torque of 72.6 Nm. The torque is transmitted from the engine to the front wheels with a dry single-disc clutch and a manual four-speed gearbox. Unlike the Trabant 601, the 1.1 does not have a column mounted gear shifter, instead, it uses a floormounted gearshift lever on the right-hand side of the driver's seat.
The fuel consumption is rated at 8. L/100 km, the top speed is 125 km/h, and the acceleration from 0–100 km/h (62 mph) is said to be 22 seconds.[5]