Herpa's Trabant

Herpa's New Vision of Trabant

After reincarnating the Mini, the Volkwagen Beetle and lately the Fiat 500, the automotive industry lays its eyes on the Trabant. Produced between 1957 and 1991 in East Germany, the Trabi is a success story on four wheels that, with its small and sturdy looks, still stirs the emotions of many Germans. Having turned fifty last November, it's still the historical car with most presence on German and international roads today.

But what about the future? Well, it's looking bright to say the least. Herpa, the German producer of miniature models, bought the copyrights of the Trabant brand and drafted a new design for the historical vehicle, entitled "Initiative newTrabi". The model was presented at the IAA 2007 in Frankfurt, where it was internationally received with a lot of enthusiasm.

Consequently, Herpa decided to take the Initiative newTrabi to the next level and produce a true prototype. The miniature company now collaborates with IndiKar, a Saxon company specializing in specialty vehicles, vehicle components, and prototypes for the automobile industry, to further develop and produce the new version of the retro car. The development group plans on presenting a life-size prototype of the Trabant's successor at the IAA 2009.

Whereas the fans of this little legend can hardly wait, Herpa is starting the production of a miniature version of the Initiative newTrabi. The model, that will be available in the H0 classic collector's scale of 1/87 in Herpa's traditional plastic edition, will be presented at the International Toy Fair in Nuremberg from February 7 till 12. Sales will start in April at the usual model dealers, at a retail price of around seven euros.

INFORMATION

www.herpa.de