Eastern Bloc Classics

[AceOfHearts]

A mate and I have just gone halves on a 1990 Trabant 601 as a bit of fun for the next year. Hopefully we will be picking it up in a week or so

The guy who was selling it also had a ZAZ 965 which was a really interesting looking car and I wish i could afford to have bought that as well, but I think I am pushing it with 4 cars at the minute anyways

Does anyone else here have a thing for eastern bloc cars? I can't wait to get stuck into Trabant ownership (even the first hurdle is going to be getting it UK registered which unfortunately i have had too much practice of recently )

I will get some pictures up soon

[hidetheelephants]

I have an irrational desire for a Barkas van.

[tog]

I had a Tatra 613 for a while. Great car, but getting parts was a headache.

[AceOfHearts]

Heres some pictures of our new Trabant from when we went to view. Will get some better ones once we collect it early in the new year.







And the interesting little ZAZ

[Newscuttlepanel]

Love them! Current fleet, Lada Riva, FSO Polonez and 2 Skoda Estelles, they're dirt cheap and rare as hens teeth, what's not to like?

[timolloyd]

Generally, I'd hate this sort of thing. But I've never forgotten a visit to the motor museum in Krakow six years ago. There's something strangely compelling about the basic spec and age of the cars from Eastern Europe. You'd think you were looking at a 60s or 70s car, only to discover that it was being manufactured well in to the 80s.

[Gompo]

I doubt I'll ever own one but have a love for the obscure and rare.

While I was in Germany a couple of years ago (in a seemingly fairly dead town) a large convoy of classics pulled up into the market square, 90% of which were of Eastern flavour. Quite a few new cars to my eyes and some of course I recognised. Spent the next hour getting some sub-par shots on my phone.

[rswift]

Where are you Mr Ace ? I see Bedfordshire

I'm also in Toddington and have a Trabant !.....engine out, been slowly doing rebuilding it amongst a very hectic work schedule.

[gforceg]

I started this topic a year or so ago,

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

which a few were able to add to.

Might be interesting.
Cheers.

[AceOfHearts]

rswift said:

Where are you Mr Ace ? I see Bedfordshire

I'm also in Toddington and have a Trabant !.....engine out, been slowly doing rebuilding it amongst a very hectic work schedule.

I am in Biggleswade, the guy selling the Trabants is in Leighton Buzzard so very close to you!

[CAPP0]

Is the ZAZ a re-tooled Fiat? Looks like it.

[stain]

I have a 74 Trabi 601 and it is a great little car. Easy to work on and spares are plentiful. You will enjoy it I'm sure.

[rswift]

There is an easy route to spares via the German parts suppliers, but I also stumbled across a place in Hungary...about half price, and a bit more involved (they don't make cards or Paypal....but helpful and have a vast array of parts for a lot of Eastern Block cars, they have a good website in Hungarian....but google translate worked well enough.

http://www.zsombishop.hu/index.php?osCsid=sq8h8oqb...

The "über efficient" German supplier I found was

http://www.ldm-tuning.de/en/

[uk66fastback]

Went to a great Trabant/Mustang museum place in Berlin last year when we were there - by Checkpoint Charlie. You still see a fair few parked about in the city.

[vetrof]

Still see Trabants, Skoda 100 and Wartburgs here in Brno daily. There's a Tatra 613 in daily use a couple of streets away from me. Ocasionaly see Volgas and GAZ as well. And very occasionally (every couple of months) a Tatra 87, fabulous looking thing it is too.

Edited by vetrof on Monday 5th January 13:27

[vetrof]

Still see Trabants, Skoda 100 and Wartburgs here in Brno daily. There's a Tatra 613 in daily use a couple of streets away from me. Occasionaly see Volgas and GAZ as well. And very occasionally (every couple of months) a Tatra 87, fabulous looking thing it is too.

Edited by vetrof on Monday 5th January 13:27

[Alfachick]

i also have a half share in a Trabant 1.1L, basically a 601 but as it was built in 1989 it has a VW polo 1.1 inline 4 in it which makes it a surprisingly practical classic.



I love it. Took it to Tuscany in the summer over the Alps twice! It never missed a beat other than the light switch falling off when I went to turn the lights off, PS if anyone has a spare lightswitch then please could I buy it from you!

[stain]

Is it the knob or the whole switch you need? I have both.

[Alfachick]

stain said:

Is it the knob or the whole switch you need? I have both.

The whole switch really, the knob had already been bodged as well but the whole lot is rotten the plastic inside is all falling to bits and due to having to turn the lights off at some point the switch might have become even more knackered....