As editor of In a bit of fun news out of the Frankfurt, Germany, Motor Show, toy car maker Herpa Miniaturmodelle of Dietenhofen, Germany, announced that it wants to develop a new version of the beloved, and oft-ridiculed, Trabant.
The Trabant was produced in the former East Germany for 30 years. In addition to the smoky, low-powered two-stroke engine (like your lawn mower's), the car featured a roof, doors and other structural parts made with a plastic composite called Duroplast, a thermoset phenolic reinforced with cotton or wool.
This report by David Vink, a reporter for our sister publication Plastics & Rubber Weekly, notes that Herpa has acquired the Trabant trademark.
"We want with our initiative to bring the Trabi onto the roads in a new form, in order to continue the history of this cult object," said Herpa Managing Director Klaus Schindler.
Now that East Germans have a choice, how many would actually choose to buy a Trabant?