Prelude
Alina sent her request for Trabi-modding to the highest-esteemed custom workshops around the world. She was not sure how these prestigious workshops would react to modifying a lowly Trabant. They usually work on some high-end builds after all. But she was still hopeful that some shops would respond with creative ideas.
When the time came, she opened her laptop to see which shops had submitted proposals. She saw six new folders in her Drive, each containing a custom shop’s proposal, including specifications and some renders.
“Well, we’re not getting any younger, let’s see these builds and make a quick decision!” – she thought to herself, and settled into her comfy lounge chair with a cup of hot coco. Alina decided to go through the proposals in order of receipt…
BRM Trabbi Throwback
@AMuteCrypt
The first entry is a grey cabrio with some distinctly styled features. The car has a certain retro-modern vibe with the two-tone finish, slightly flared rear end, and custom lights front and rear. The rear light stack is very distinctive and looks quite fancy, while retaining some of the original’s flair. The glass bonnet (rather, trunk cover) is an interesting touch too. While the look is decently unique and is quite authentic (people would still easily recognize it as a Trabi), it doesn’t quite please Alina. The interior renders show a clean and minimalistic look, but don’t offer too much detail. Not bad, but also nothing special there. What else does this Trabi have to offer though?
According to the spec sheet, it has a 2.7L V10 – in the back! That is certainly a big departure from the original and very unique and interesting. Alina wonders, though, why this engine is not shown off more! She feels like a glass or see-through rear end would have made more sense than the glass cargo cover.
Due to its engine, the car is also quite prestigious, especially combined with an all-premium interior. Despite the V10, this car also promises to be very quiet. Drivability and comfort are only promised to be average, though. Due to the choice of engine, this car will be fairly expensive to maintain given its promised fuel economy, service costs, and reliability – but maybe it will be worth it? Not a bad start to the list!
MVD-Trabbi TSI
@Marcus_gt500
The next car almost jumps out of the page at Alina with its striking blue colour. The MVD proposal is certainly and unmistakenly a Trabant as it maintains an almost true-to-original look. Alina certainly likes the look of this car. The changes from the original are minimal, but all meaningful and tastefully executed. And that blue colour is gorgeous. The one drawback is that this proposal is dime-a-dozen; everyone who restomods their Trabi somehow goes for this same simple yet sporty look. Nothing wrong with that, it is just not very unique, and probably won’t really stand out from the crowd looks-wise. On the inside the proposal retains a five-seater lay-out, upgraded with premium materials and a modern, but standard infotainment system. The interior seems nicely detailed though.
Under the hood this car packs a small 1L I3 lifted from a VW – this is almost like a throw-back to the Trabi 1.1. Almost. But not quite. The new engine is nicely packaged though, and might spark some interest from… somebody. There is just not too much to brag about with a small I3.
Looking at some other specs, the car promises to be excellent on gas (what else would you expect from a small I3?), has decent noise levels, has decent drivability, but kind-of all-right comfort only. Due to the engine and interior selection, prestige is almost nowhere to be found, unfortunately, and is the biggest shortcoming of this proposal. Reliability and service costs, on the other hand are good, which is good for business. The initial purchase price is also very attractive. Alina is quite pleased with this entry as well, and will certainly keep in mind for later.
Trabi Resto Mod
@rbiemer
Despite the nondescript name, this proposal does pop off the page with its nice green paint job. This colour choice, especially the two-tone roof and accents, also pleases Alina very much. This car has an interesting aesthetic. While it is not very unique and quite authentic, in this case Alina feels that the changes were not made for the better. The front grille seems to be assembled from a variety of disparate parts, the yellow headlights don’t really fit the build, the rear lights are just OK-ish, and the spoked wheels don’t do the car justice either. Somehow the whole ensemble just doesn’t fit together in Alina’s eyes. The inside of the car is more promising though, with a sport interior with premium infotainment, and the renders show some interesting details.
Under the hood, this build features a magnesium (!) 1.6L 20V(!) I4. While not very large, and the I4 lay-out not anything hugely special, the magnesium block and 5v per cylinder head are certainly going to be the talk among engineering types. Ditto the carbon-ceramic disk brakes – not readily visible necessarily, but the connoisseurs will find these interesting and unique on a Trabi.
Looking at the stats, Alina does get a little worried about this proposal. It is very very sporty, but it comes at a price: it is close to the acceptable noise limit, its drivability is not stellar, comfort is basically non-existent… at least prestige is OK due to the high-end materials used and the decent interior. All of these sports components do come at a cost though (literally), with low reliability and high service costs. Alina is intrigued by this build, and it would be great if she was in the market for a track-Trabi, but it might not really be what she’s looking for…
Sunset Garage traBONKERS
@HelloHi
Well, with that name, Alina expects to see something crazy for this proposal. After opening the file, she is met with a dark grey Trabi with some nice red accents. The colour is not very striking, but it works. Styling wise, this build promises the most change from the original Trabi so far. The roof is chopped, the hood extended, there is a giant blower on the hood, and a large radiator sticking out of the front; not to mention the altered rear lights and removed bumper on the back. Despite these changes, it still remains very recognizably a Trabant. The looks are unique enough to draw attention too, so the combination, while not entirely Alina’s cup of tea, should work well for garnering interest. On the inside there are two seats only, hand-stitched leather, and a premium infotainment system. Alina is a little confused by the rendering of bare carbon seats and dash, however – something doesn’t add up between the description and the renders. There is also a sturdy looking roll cage. Alina suspiciously wonders why…
Flipping the page to the engineering statistics, everything becomes clear to Alina. This car boasts a turbo-charged (super-charged, based on the blower?) 4.4L boxer-six producing 430 HP! That is more than 100 HP in excess of even the V10 that we’ve seen so far – truly bonkers! How all that power is going to be transferred to the road, and how the car is kept ON the road, is a bit of a question mark at this point… perhaps that is why there is a full roll cage…
Moving on to the other stats Alina gets even more worried. Due to the high power, the car majorly suffers in drivability. The engine and tires are pushed to their limits, which combined with the choice of interior, results in ultra-high service costs and only average reliability. Not to mention the noise, which is just like the previous entry, very borderline of acceptable. Prestige is good though, but what good does that do if the car is upside down under a tree? Lastly, the car’s fuel consumption is simply unacceptable to Alina (and the law)… so unfortunately, Alina has to conclude that the traBonkers will not be considered further.
Trabant 616 S by Midlands
@Portalkat42
The fifth entry comes with a nice shiny ad with some welcome humour about the Trabi – just the way Alina likes to portray its history. It is thus with an invigorated heart that Alina starts her review of this proposal. On the outside this proposal displays some interesting choices. On one hand, it is not very unique – it looks very similar to many other sport-oriented restomodded Trabis with their flared arches, spoilers, and wide tires. It is not a bad look, and still quintessential Trabi, but probably won’t draw too much attention – similar to some of the earlier proposals. The red accent stripe and black top are quite nice though, and add a pleasant flow to the car’s aesthetics. One thing that confuses Alina a little is why a grille from the T1.1 is added to the 601. That is a little confusing… On the inside the Trabi boasts a sports interior with premium HUD and four seats. The renders show a simple, yet stylish and nicely detailed interior, which pleases Alina. The images also show that the space under the hood has been converted to a cargo area, which leads us to…
…the 1.6L I4 that has been installed into the rear of the car. Certainly a unique touch, which would intrigue car enthusiasts. There is also a very nicely detailed double-exhaust system, not usually associated with I4 engines.
The statics for this proposal are a bit of a mixed bag. In terms of cost, the car has excellent reliability, and good service costs and fuel economy – despite using some race parts and sport tires. Noise levels are kind of average. Comfort is good, but drivability is not great probably due to a generally oversteery set-up. Prestige seems rather average and doesn’t stand out from the other cars reviewed so far. It is still a car to keep in mind for later, Alina thinks.
Trabant IS by MTL Customs & Tuning
@karhgath
Alina opened the last entry that she received, and her jaw almost hit the floor. The Trabant IS certainly makes a statement! Wow. Well… what can Alina say about it? It is most certainly unique – very unique indeed. There is guaranteed no other Trabi like this on the planet! The looks are also very nice and very detailed. It is clear that MTL Customs put a lot of effort into this project and really care to make this a high-quality build. The only drawback of the proposal is that it is not very… authentic. The Trabi is certainly there, but it is so well hidden under the custom body work, that the casual onlooker has to look hard to see it. But then again, this is so unique, that everyone is guaranteed to take a closer look and then will indeed see that it is a Trabi… Looking on the inside, this Trabi features a wonderfully detailed premium interior and luxury infotainment system. The renders once again astonish the Alina with their attention to detail and quality. Superb workmanship is displayed here.
Under the hood we find the second boxer-six of the line-up; this time a smaller 2.6L unit without turbo. Still, a pretty unique choice that would garner some interest among the Trabi community. But in this case, the engineering choice is definitely overshadowed by the external looks.
Statistics wise, the Trabi IS does not disappoint. It is cost-effective with decent fuel economy and reliability, and low service costs. Noise levels are excellent, and it has class-leading drivability and comfort. Prestige isn’t the greatest, but it makes up for it with its unique looks. What impresses Alina most is that MTL Customs & Tuning not only made a moving billboard for the company, but at the same time this Trabi can also function as a tour bus. This is certainly a unique feature that even she did not consider!
The winner is…
Before Alina hits the reply button, she gathers her notes and jots down some final thoughts:
There were some really strong entries for this competition.
The Trabi Resto Mod (@rbiemer) is certainly the sportiest of the bunch, but that was not the aim of this project. If Alina wanted to go racing with a Trabi, this would be her first choice, but the car as proposed is utterly unsuitable for her needs, unfortunately.
The BRM (@AMuteCrypt) and Sunset Garage (@HelloHi) entries shined with their prestige. Especially the BRM’s V10 stands out as an engineering highlight, but unfortunately it is just not enough to convince Alina that it’ll be a large-enough crowd pleaser. Perhaps at car shows it would be a winner, but not driving around town. The Sunset Garage entry… well, it is too bad that the Sunset Garage guys dun’ goofed and looked at a different country’s emission laws.
The 616 S by Midlands (@Portalkat42) and MVD-Trabbi TSI (@Marcus_gt500) are similar to each other in that they are both kind-of run of the mill sporty Trabi restomods. They both look good and have decent stats, but aren’t very unique. Both cars would draw modest crowds at car shows, and turn some heads on the street, but in the end they just don’t quite have that “wow” factor. However, one thing does have to be noted: the MVD-Trabbi TSI achieves all of this for $10000 less than the Midlands, therefore it does get the edge in this competition.
Lastly, there is the Trabant IS by MTL Customs & Tuning (@karhgath). This build hits all the correct stats and nails the brief to a tee. It is the perfect drive-around billboard for the company. It will turn heads and definitely leave an impression wherever it goes. People will remember seeing it, and with clever advertisement it will be associated in people’s minds with the rental place no problem. In addition, it can serve as a tour bus! That is a big bonus that Alina didn’t expect. The best part is that she can drive this car around all day easily and in comfort. There really aren’t any weak points to this build.
So with that, Alina points her mouse at the reply button for MTL Customs & Tuning, and clicks…
Congratulations to karhgath for a well-deserved victory! The Trabi-IS really stood out in both stats and visual impact. Well done!
If you can’t host the next round, the top three is rounded out by
2. Marcus_gt500
3. Portalkat42
Thank you all for participating! This was a fun round, and see you all in Chapter 5!
Thanks for hosting and those great writeups by the way!