Is this proof that no car is safe from restomodders?

Yes, ladies and gentlemen of the internet, the subject of the above gallery is a restomodded Trabant. Things may have got out of hand.

The Trabant was a stoic symbol of communism in the 20th century. It was built in East Germany for around three decades, from the late 1950s right up until the fall of the Eastern Bloc. It was also a truly terrible little car.

That hasn’t stopped one besotted owner handing his car over to the folks at Vilner Garage though. You may remember Vilner from projects such as this E30 M3 or this really rather blue Datsun 280Z -; the Bulgarians clearly know what they’re doing when it comes to modernising classics.

For the Trabi, they started by swapping out the original two-stroke engine for a 1.1-litre unit from a Mk1 VW Polo. That means a whopping 45bhp and 75Nm under the bonnet. Easy tiger!

It may not be hugely powerful then, but at least this new/old Trabant has a cute face thanks to those LED headlights. Anyone else think it looks like an EV?

As you can tell from the images, most of the work here has been on the interior. There’s a Momo steering wheel, plush seats and a leather-trimmed dashboard -; all options that couldn’t even be dreamt of at the time of the Trabant’s production.

It’s nice to see the headrests have been left as standard though. They look about as comfortable as the pillows in an East German prison.

The lovely blue checked pattern is also carried from the roof and wheels in to the seats by Vilner, and the prevalence of the number 21 is apparently down to it being the owner’s favourite number.

So, how does everyone feel about a restomodded Trabi? And just what can we expect to get the treatment next?

STORY Greg Potts