Prototypes
The companies who were in the IFA were quite independent. Over the various decades, the companies in the IFA made a quite amazing amount of concepts and prototypes that never took off, due to rejection of production from the DDR council. Here are but a few of the designs that the R&D departments developed.
AWE Eisenach Prototypes:
AWE Eisenach, the last company to go when IFA collapsed, made a abundance of prototypes with government officials, scientists and academics in mind, since they were the only people who were allowed one. One of the first ones was this interesting concept design which had similarities to Volkswagen's Karmann Ghia at the time. Only a few examples were made to display to the government, who didn't see any point in investing it. Because of this, not much is known about this car except a convirtable version followed later, which as soon been abandoned as well. Other examples of concepts were a Wartburg 353 Hatchback, which could of sold thousands that was never produced because nobody saw a purpose in attaching a family-style boot to a high-tier car.
Sachsenring Prototypes
VEB-Sachsenring-Werke Zwickau, famed for its horrible Trabant, made some prototypes too. These were quite shockingly ahead of their time. The Trabant p601 was only designed as an interim, is was meant to be replaced with something much better, but the government were happy with the little cardboard box Sachsenring was producing. One major development was the P603, a radical small hatchback, with the same lines as a Volkswagen Golf. This car was made at least 20 years earlier than the golf ever existed. Legend has it Sachsenring sold the P603 to Volkswagen to make the Volkswagen Golf.
The East German government was treading on economic thin ice at the time and ordered all of the examples to be scrapped and recycled into 601s. Later on, several more prototypes were made later, based on original P603 plans. The person in control of Sachsenring was banished to Barkas-Werke for punishment for pestering the government to "waste" money on projects. in 1984, IFA acquired plans and a license to make Volkswagen Polo engines, so they stuck one in a trabant and branded it the 1.1. This model wasn't popular because many East Germans were buying West German cars which were far better such as the Volkswagen Golf and the Audi 80. HOWEVER, IT DOES NOT STOP THERE! Sachsenring came back in 1997 with the "Uni", a radical hybrid designed to replace every single Trabant 1.1. As usual, this failed as Sachsenring was owned by HQM Volkswagen and Volkswagen was only using Sachsenring as a spare parts factory, not a car company partner. |