Berlin was literally a city of two halves during the Cold War. West of the Berlin Wall, fat cats cruised the streets in gleaming Mercedes; a symbol of sophistication and capitalist comfort. To the East, they drove the inimitable Trabant; a symbol of simplicity and communist frugality.
This small, boxy, proletarian saloon was spartan, crude and humiliatingly underpowered; the antithesis of the reckless indulgence and cosseted comfort of western sedans. And yet, with waiting lists stretching to 15 years, it was one of the most sought-after cars in Europe. With a measly two-stroke power plant delivering a frankly pathetic 26hp, and with a positively pedestrian top speed of 112 kph, it wasn't designed for the fast lane. Like the communities they served, they lacked power, embodied uniformity and eschewed excess.
The Trabant was the prized possession of any self-respecting communist household and, between 1957 and 1991, more than 3,000,000 were produced and distributed throughout the Eastern Bloc. Although it proved robust and reliable, it was a car that required a lot from its driver. There were no electronic gizmos or driver aids in this redoubtable runaround. Indeed, to refuel, the bonnet had to be hitched up, petrol and oil added and then mixed by hand.
You may assume that such simplicity brought an environmental benefit, but Trabants were notorious for leaving billowing exhaust plumes in their wake, and they were nine times more polluting than their cultured counterparts in the west. Their maxim was "no frills, low bills".
When the Wall came down in 1989, one of the most memorable and poignant scenes of that emotive time of history was the flood of liberated Trabants pouring into the West. At first, they were mocked by West Berliners, and the myth was born that they were made of cardboard, when in fact they used fibre-based Duroplast panels. They were so ubiquitous that they sold for a handful of Deutsche Marks as aspiring East Germans looked to indulge in the trappings of consumer culture.
As the millennium approached, the image of the Trabant changed. From simply utilitarian, it became über cool as it was adopted as the ultimate retro status symbol. It can now be seen in classic car parades, vintage rallies and even in custom-designed, supercharged form in the drag race strips of Eastern Europe.
The Trabant is a car that evokes more sentiment and nostalgia than perhaps any other; a vehicle so synonymous with the history of a once-divided city that should be viewed as an artefact as much as a mode of transport.
tbrooks@thenational.ae
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz S 450
Price, base / as tested Dh525,000 / Dh559,000
Engine: 3.0L V6 biturbo
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 369hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm at 1,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.0L / 100km
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
How to tell if your child is being bullied at school
Sudden change in behaviour or displays higher levels of stress or anxiety
Shows signs of depression or isolation
Ability to sleep well diminishes
Academic performance begins to deteriorate
Changes in eating habits
Struggles to concentrate
Refuses to go to school
Behaviour changes and is aggressive towards siblings
Begins to use language they do not normally use
RESULT
Esperance de Tunis 1 Guadalajara 1
(Esperance won 6-5 on penalties)
Esperance: Belaili 38’
Guadalajara: Sandoval 5’
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog
Name: Fareed Lafta
Age: 40
From: Baghdad, Iraq
Mission: Promote world peace
Favourite poet: Al Mutanabbi
Role models: His parents
FIGHT CARD
Fights start from 6pm Friday, January 31
Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) v Ahmed Saeb (IRQ)
Women’s bantamweight
Cornelia Holm (SWE) v Corinne Laframboise (CAN)
Welterweight
Omar Hussein (JOR) v Vitalii Stoian (UKR)
Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) v Ali Dyusenov (UZB)
Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) v Delfin Nawen (PHI)
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) v Mohamed El Mokadem (EGY)
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) v Ramadan Noaman (EGY)
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) v Reydon Romero (PHI)
Welterweight
Ahmed Labban (LEB) v Juho Valamaa (FIN)
Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) v Austin Arnett (USA)
Super heavyweight
Roman Wehbe (LEB) v Maciej Sosnowski (POL)
Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
