The Neighbor from H--- : He has 49 Trabants collected in backyard. Neighbors said to be "annoyed"

New.Com.AU ^ | March 5, 2004 | staff writer

[battlegearboat]

Do they smell as bad as the neighbor's 87 cats?

[alloysteel]

Somebody collects those noisy little self-propelled roller skates?

About 1950, there was a similar little vehicle built in West Germany, called the Lloyd. The East Germans weren't even original in their design, they just copied the West German design (which had been abandoned much earlier).

The two-stroke cycle engine, which ran on a gas-oil mixture, is perhaps one of the most polluting power units per horsepower, and per hour of running, on the planet.

Let this fellow keep them for lawn ornaments, but he must never, ever, be allowed to start up even one of them.

[Paradox]

The Trabant is considered by auto-experts to be the WORST car of all time. Yes, it makes the AMC Pacer look good.

[EvaClement]

If the Mr. Bean Show ever needs replacement cars, it can contact this guy.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Wouldn't this guy's collection melt in the British climate?

[Wilhelm Tell]

He needs 49 Trabbies to have enough usable spare parts on hand to make one car run!

Think of all the pollution the Trabants made over the years -- and yet many evnironmentalists assure us that the way to stop pollution is to adopt socialism/communism.

One of the "achievements" of communism is that it caused Germans to make really bad cars. A country of Germans and all the average people had was that unreliable, dangerous, and super-polluting car. And yet some "consumer advocates" tell us that socialism is consumer-friendly because everyone's choices are limited to that which is poorly-made and substandard.

[11th Earl of Mar]

Sounds like England needs Home Owner Associations.

[SamAdams76]

Looks like the back cover of the next U2 album.

[Glenn]

About 1950, there was a similar little vehicle built in West Germany, called the Lloyd. The East Germans weren't even original in their design, they just copied the West German design (which had been abandoned much earlier).

I'm always amazed at the expertise of Freepers. Just WHERE did you pick up this information?

And I mean that question in the nicest and most sincere way.

[baltodog]

That blue one looks kinda cool....check out the spoiler.

Silk stockings on a pig?

[cloud8]

"The two-stroke cycle engine, which ran on a gas-oil mixture, is perhaps one of the most polluting power units per horsepower, and per hour of running, on the planet."

Car & Driver Magazine tried to import a Trabbi into the States a few years ago. The EPA would only let them run it on a private track, and at other times it had to be kept disassembled.

[steplock]

Hey now! I loved my AMC PACER!

THe problem with the Pacer? People with no imagination, no motivation, no intelligence. They didn't like it.

It is similar to the reaction you'll get from 90% of Americans wneh you tell them of the wonders of Hubble and Space Travel!


http://imgsrc.hubblesite.org/hu/db/2004/10/images/b/formats/web_print.jpg

in the US - ignorance has ruled

[AnAmericanMother]

Yeah, they smell rotten.

That's why, when I was in W Germany, the nickname for them was "Trabbifurz". Furz = what Mark Twain called "the fundamental sigh."

[AnAmericanMother]

The blue one looks very sharp. Matches the blue cloud of oily exhaust smoke that emanates from its engine.

Must have been repainted -- no rust!

[cloud8]

"The two-stroke cycle engine, which ran on a gas-oil mixture, is perhaps one of the most polluting power units per horsepower, and per hour of running, on the planet."

Car & Driver Magazine tried to import a Trabbi into the States a few years ago. The EPA would only let them run it on a private track, and at other times it had to be kept disassembled.

[Hildy]

I have a neighbor like this...in his backyard he has two cars, a HUGE boat, and other assorted non-working mechanical apparatus..oh yea..TWO golf carts. Why do people collect things like this. It's so annoying. Thank God my best friends are buying his house and fixing it up. This is the reason for Home Owners' Associations.

[LizardQueen]

I think they actually look kind of cute, kind of like larger Minis, but mechanically... ick....

What would be fun is to keep the body but gut the mechanicals and replace them with something like a Porsche engine, suspension, etc.

I can see keeping a few as a novelty, but 49? That's a lot. Kind of an odd obsession, like collecting Yugos.

LQ

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Looks like a Minicooper!

[tacticalogic]

Must have been repainted -- no rust!

The body panels don't rust because there isn't any steel in them. They're made out of some kind of phenol resin impregnated fiber board. It extremely damp weather it tends to de-laminate and swell up.