Date:         Tue, 21 Apr 2009 21:02:53 -0700
Reply-To:     Zoltan <thewestyman@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Zoltan <thewestyman@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Cool Vanagon Paint Job
Comments: To: Tom Buese <tombuese@comcast.net>
In-Reply-To:  <3D72FF9E-60A1-4722-89ED-D2F028307742@comcast.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Well, I'm not an East German or a one time owner of a Trabant.  It is a car with two two-stroke cylinders, sounding like a lawn mower, the frame is steel the body is some pressed syntetic material or fibre glass, so you did not see one with a rusted out door.  Not a heavy car, four seater, made in the DDR.  Ended production after the take over, even had to replace the engine with a four stroke one.  It smoked and smelled but those who had one loved it for being trouble free and running forever.  Front wheel drive.  Sputtering.  Four seater, two door.
The word Trabant means "travelling mate" or something to that effect.  A real simbol of the 'good old times' of the communist era.  It was to them as the VW Beatle to us.  
The East Germans also had a three cylinder car that was bigger and faster and nicer, kind of like a 'communist Mercedes', called Wartburg.  

Now, you don't see any of them in Europe.  They are gone just as the Citroen DS or the Citroen 2CV.  

But the communists had a few other cars people here in the US would never recognize.  One of them was a rear flat engined air-cooled car with four seats and two doors, made in the Soviet Unio, bearing the name of the town is made in, Zaporozetz.  

Those of us who grew up in those times, remember the times in good spirit for we were young and playful and healthy and in love, etc.  Otherwise it was shit.  
Zoltan

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Tom Buese 
  To: Zoltan 
  Cc: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM 
  Sent: Tuesday, April 21, 2009 8:11 PM
  Subject: Re: Cool Vanagon Paint Job




  On Apr 21, 2009, at 6:58 PM, Zoltan wrote:


    It would impossible for an American to even guess this car painted on.  It
    is a Trabant 601, if I'm not mistaken.  And I bet, I'm not.
    One of the nicest and most fun paint job.


  OK, I'll show my ignorance, what is a Trabant-French?


  YMMV,


  Mr. BZ


    Zoltan


    ----- Original Message -----
    From: "Mister Tom" <TomsGroups@SALICOS.COM>
    To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
    Sent: Tuesday, April 21, 2009 3:50 PM
    Subject: Cool Vanagon Paint Job




      http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3384/3334006588_3092a1321d.jpg?v=0


  Tom Buese
  tombuese@comcast.net