The automotive engineering adopted for the small Trabant was essential. The engine, a two-stroke, was initially designed for motorbike use. The first P50 model, produced from 1957 to 1962 with 131,440 units, was a 2-stroke 500 cc; with the Trabant P601, the most popular model, the displacement increased to 594 cc, with a power output of 26 HP. The engine was only ‘updated’ after the fall of the Wall: for the first time the 601 was fitted with a four-stroke 1043 cc engine derived from the Volkswagen Polo. The chassis consisted of a steel sheet platform supporting an ultra-lightweight 650 kg body made of a special plastic material called Duroplast, composed of resin reinforced with recycled and pressed wool or cotton.
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