1980 Trabant 601

Ah, the fall of the Iron Curtain. The End of the Cold War. The opening of free trade...ah..wait, what is this thing? Oh man they drove this over there? Quick, close the curtain! Re-build the wall! Bring back the Cold War!

All kidding aside, former Soviet satellite state cars are starting to see the light of Western day and bring their own set of charms.

As the seller correctly notes, the Trabant 601 was basically to the East Germans what the Volkwagen Beetle was for West Germans: that everyday people's car. It's not beautiful (though one could stretch for cute), it's not fast, it's probably not terribly comfortable, but it got people from point A to B. And in the communist German Democratic Republic, that was all cars were expected to do. It was produced from 1963-1990, resulting in over 2 million units sold.

The interior is a mind blowing exercise in frugality, which the dash housing only the most vital gauges and the steering wheel looking like it came off a metal playground set.

Despite the aesthetic austerity, the 601 actually hid some nice innovations for the time, eschewing the 'decadent' West's rear-engine fever in favor of the front-engine, front-wheel drive setup that is ubiquitous today. It also had froth and rear independent suspension.

The engine itself is an extremely small two-stroke, two-cylinder unit that probably gets great gas mileage.

The seller says this one is solid and runs and drives great, with the original drivetrain and some imperfections in the paint. They also have a Maryland title.

Available here on ebay with a Buy It Now of $3,995.

1972 GAZ 69A Custom Pickup

The GAZ is basically to Russia what the Jeep is the US: the standard-issue two-door off-road utilitarian machine. Gaz produced the 69A from 1954 to 1972. It was popular in the Eastern Bloc, making it a relic from the Cold War, too.

The nice thing about a lot of European cars from the 60s, 70s and 80s is that they are surprisingly compact and make the most of very little sheet metal. This one has a nice look going with aftermarket fog lamps, plain Jane wheels, and a custom pickup confirmation, complete with a soft top roof and side-mounted spare.

The seller says it has a 4-cylinder Volga engine good for 70 horsepower directed to all four wheels and a manual transmission. They say it was imported to the US from the nation of Georgia in 2011, but it currently registered as a Collector Vehicle in Washington State, so that may have restrictions, although it does seem to wear valid tags.

Available here on ebay for $9,500 or the Make Offer option.

Thawed Out 1973 Barkas B1000

Since the lifting of the Iron Curtain and presumptive end of the Cold War, a bunch of Soviet satellite state cars we might not have seen otherwise are slowly making their way to US shores. One such surprise appearances is this East German Barkas van apparently sitting for sale in Arizona at the moment.

Comparisons to Volkswagen's Type 2 may seem inevitable - they're both vans made in Germany - but the similarities stop there. Besides being divided by a literal and figurative wall of concrete and ideology, the Barkas, with its curvy body, semi-covered rear wheels, front engine and front wheel drive, was slightly more ahead of the times than the Type 2.

The cabin-over design probably inspired much later efforts by Toyota, and still looks good today, even if the earth tone paint scheme is decidedly seventies. The seller says there is some light rust and dents but the body is in otherwise great shape.

With the engine pushed to the front, the rest of the vehicle could be devoted to a high loading capacity and ingress and egress were made convenient as well. This, of course, had sinister implications in a police state like the GDR where citizens were supposedly snatched from the street and thrown in vans like this.

Engine power came from a tiny three-cylinder, two stroke engine, but it's mechanically uncomplicated and mostly reliable. Sourcing parts might be tricky, however. The seller says it's a running driving car and lists the mileage as 40k.

The interior is predictably spartan and the seats look damaged.

The seller says it was imported a couple years ago and has import papers and a vehicle registration but they don't mention a title. Examine the extent of the rust and make sure the documentation is all sorted first. 

Over 175k were produced until 1991, but it's a rarity over here. In the mostly free world of today, this car can now function as either an innocent daily driver or powerful historical reminder. 

Available here on ebay.

Not So Iron Curtain: 60k-Mile 1988 Yugo GVX

Oh, the Yugo. There was no vehicle so contrary to red-meat American values of the 1980s, and yet there three of them were lined up, red, white, and blue at the 1984 Los Angeles International Auto Show during the height of the Reagan Era.

There was quite a bit of classic one-upmanship in bringing the Yugo to America, however. Malcolm Bricklin (yes, the same guy behind the Bricklin SV-1 and Subaru America) had been contacted by Armand Hammer on behalf of Yugoslavia to find a way to expand Yugo sales. Bricklin, ever the magnet for bad ideas, apparently thought the Yugo was a great idea. But not before another entrepreneur named Miro Kefurt thought the same thing and managed to found YugoCars, Inc. in Sun Valley, California in 1982. It was their cars that appeared at the Los Angeles show. Bricklin was at the show and saw the Yugo, and, not to be outdone, literally left the show and immediately flew to Yugoslavia to negotiate a deal. Eventually, he made a deal directly with Kefurt, who sold Bricklin the rights to sell the Yugo in exchange for the rights to sell the Fiat/Bertone X1/9.

Was the Yugo worth all the hassle? The original manufacturer was called Zastava Yugo Automobili and had been building the "Koral"/Yugo since 1980. These were extremely basic subcompact economy cars. They were available in only a three-door hatchback or two-door convertible. A tiny 3-cylinder engine powered the front wheels.

Styling takes inspiration directly from Giugiaro's groundbreaking 1974 Volkswagen Golf. There are no frills or excess here, just a simple, pure, undiluted two-box shape. Initial models had reverse lights mounted on the bumper. Later models have them more appropriately integrated in the taillight cluster. The whole thing isn't bad looking, though, and definitely grows on you.

Although early Yugo had problems with emissions, they eventually underwent over 500 changes for the U.S. market. By the late 80s, their build quality and reputation improved. Sales hit a high of 200,000 in 1989. The entry-level GV (for "Great Value") was offered at just $3,990.

This is a later example in higher "GVX" trim. The GVX was powered by a 1300cc 3-cylinder engine that only produced around 68 horsepower and moved the car from 0-60 mph in 13.56 seconds, no speed record. Cosmetically, it added a ground-effects package, alloy wheels and rally lights.

The seller of this Yugo says they've owned it for 15 years, the last 6 of which it has been in storage. In the last several months they list a host of repairs and upgrades. They also lowered the suspension, hollowed out the cat converter and disabled the emissions regulator. Cosmetically, some of the paint seems worn on the bumpers. Mechanically, their work speaks for itself, and they say it handles great and is a blast to drive. They state the mileage as just 60,589.

Ultimately, the Yugo was brought down by politics here at home and in Yugoslavia, as our crippling regulations forced yet more emissions changes and the collapse of the Soviet Union and its communist satellites interrupted production and caused sales to end here in 1992.

Find this remnant of another era here on ebay with a Buy-It-Now of $2,700 and the Make Offer option.