Although the East German car the "Trabant" would never have been in the running for any design or performance awards, to this day it evokes the tumultuous events of 1989/1990 when the Berlin Wall fell and the Iron Curtain began to dissolve.

First manufactured in 1957, its name means "Satellite". A possible alternative translation is "companion", but bearing in mind that this was also the year that Sputnik was launched, the "Satellite" interpretation is the most likely.

Curiously, when it first hit the road, the Trabant, or "Trabi", as it was often called, had some features that might be considered ahead of their time in a mass-market car, such as front wheel drive and rear suspension.

That notwithstanding, especially as it underwent very few changes in the thirty plus years that followed, and that its two-stroke engine was highly polluting, after its initial glory as the symbol of the wall falling, it rapidly became a laughing stock, and production was discontinued in 1990.

But the Trabi was not that easily sidelined, and went on to enjoy a second life as a collector's item, even becoming the star of a movie - "Go, Trabi, Go" in 1991.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org