#eastgermanycar #armygdr #gdr On the way in a Trabant 601 A (bucket) or stuffed dog, as it is also called, from 1969. Thanks to Ringo from the Simson brothers in Zwickau, this video was made, he introduces us to the bucket of his "colleague".

It is a car that was created for the National People's Army of the GDR as a new, light vehicle.

The P601 A - The "A" in P 601 A stands for army.

How many Trabant type P 601 A were actually built leaves room for speculation, sometimes there is talk of 6000 pieces and sometimes over 11,000, as you can read on the Trabant-Technik website.

In any case, 1448 pieces of the Trabant P 601 A are still registered according to statistics from 2017 from the Federal Motor Transport Authority.

An apt short description of the Trabant bucket can be found in an NVA information sheet from 1966, which read:

"From the front a Trabant 601 with camouflage headlights and duroplast hood - otherwise a bucket car with all attributes. In the side view it resembles the Wartburg bucket. Was this perhaps the godfather? As far as the system as a bucket vehicle is concerned, perhaps, because the general conception and design of the rear correspond the valued forms of a jeep."

At first glance, the bucket is a completely normal Trabant, just without a roof. Only at second glance does it become apparent that many modifications have been made to improve rigidity.

For example, the reinforcements in the area of ​​the A-pillar, in the area of ​​the cowl, an additional square profile is installed.

With an additional spotted sheet metal in the upper window frame, it becomes a closed profile, which simplifies the front sealing of the convertible top.
Of course, the Trabant bucket was also reinforced on the floor and in the rear area of ​​the body.

A distinctive feature, as you can see the approximate age of a Trabant bucket, are the horizontal longitudinal beads at the back. They were introduced in the early 1970s.
Before that there were none.
Later, due to material savings and for further reinforcement, a second additional bead was attached in the mid-80s.

Of course, the Trabant bucket can be driven like a normal Trabant 601, despite the lack of a fixed roof, it is not even much louder. In any case, the missing doors, which have been replaced here by a chain, look very adventurous.

There will be even more of the Trabant Kuebel in the second part, where we will also drive openly, among other things.