#trabant #prototype #gdr Thanks to the information from Michael Schinz and Sebastian Mai (as the protagonist) from the OstVehicle Magazine @79oktan92 and the August Horch Museum Zwischen, we were able to create this video.

Thank you for the great cooperation!

In 1973 and 1979, the former automobile manufacturer from Zwickau (Saxony) VEB Sachsenring attempted to modernize and improve the legendary Trabant 601 with the Trabant 610 prototype. A total of 20 functional models were built for this, with the 20th model being regarded as the most developed. We received the project folder and the keys, including the functional model 18, for our filming.

On the surface, the P610 represented the last chance to be a real successor to the Trabant 601. "Really" here means that both new technology and a new body should be used. Everything that came after that was more or less compromised or some kind of cosmetic. For example the 601 W E2, which at first glance had a modern body, but in reality had the old 601 2stroke technology. This means that old technology has been packed in a new dress. With the Trabant 1:1 it was exactly the opposite. Although there was completely new technology here, the old bodywork was retained. So the 610 was the last chance to really and truly modernize the Trabant 601: with a redesigned body and new technology. The goal was to launch a vehicle that met international standards.


First, a red P610 was created in 1974, which showed us where the journey with the new vehicle could go. There were a total of five generations of functional models between 1974 and 1979. Again and again, details were improved, changed and the design improved. Extensive testing has been done, and there are even design elements that you find later. For example, the functional model 12 shows the design of the front cooler or, more precisely, the asymmetrical arrangement of the rows of slots, which was adopted many years later on the Trabant 1:1.

While round headlights were still being used for a long time, the last generation, Generation 5 of the functional model, featured the design draft with integrated blind lights and rectangular headlights. After a long time of clinging to the dirtfree rear window and therefore having designed the rear window to be relatively flat, the decision was made to go for a hatchback. It was recognized that although the steep rear window would get dirty, it would significantly improve the overall aerodynamics of the vehicle. They wanted to keep costs under control.

We received the original KFZ letter for the shooting, which shows that this Trabant with the registration number XK 51 93 was registered in the district of KarlMarxStadt, today's Chemnitz, to the owner Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwickau. The file states that the car was immobilized on 01/05/1985, which suggests that it was still registered for five years after the project was cancelled.

Compared to the Trabant 601, the interior of the P610 has been completely redesigned and, above all, has a modern design. The P610 had a real center console, heating controls, new panels and seats in completely different colors. At 241 liters, the boot volume was significantly smaller than the boot volume of the Trabant 601 sedan at 420 liters.

Interestingly, although the P610's appearance was much sleeker and more modern, it had higher drag than the 601 twostroke model.