>(Based on the anecdotes I've heard, the real-life Trabant is a strain
>to the imagination.)
>
It's pretty hideous. I've seen one once (and only once, thankfully) in the Cold War section at the USAF museum in Dayton, OH. Just reading the materials used is enough to make one cringe - very little metal or plastic for the body, mostly wood and fabric scraps, IIRC. I would not want to by driving one if a bicycle slammed into one.