Trabant P 601 L
Built: 1978 · Series: Other models
More machines from model year 1978
Not the right version? The data comes from vehicle registers holding many near-identical versions side by side. Photograph the data plate — we read make and type from it. Open the scanner e-mail address required
Trabant – other models: utility versions of the P601 from Zwickau, two-stroke twin-cylinder engine of 594 cm³, 620 to 700 kg unladen weight
The Trabant P601 was built from 1964 to 1990 at VEB Sachsenring in Zwickau and, with its Duroplast body and two-stroke twin-cylinder engine, was among the most widely built vehicles of East Germany. This page gathers utility and estate versions the register could not assign to a named range: the P 601 L, P601 and P601L; L denoted Sachsenring's more comfortable Luxus trim line.
Read on 4 more paragraphs
The register lists here 3 versions with the two-stroke twin-cylinder engine of 594 cm³, unladen weights from 620 to 700 kg, gross weights from 850 to 1,000 kg and widths from 1,140 to 1,450 mm.
In East Germany the P601 served not only as a family car but, in estate and van form, also as a small utility vehicle for tradespeople and public bodies, since alternatives were scarce in the planned economy's narrow vehicle range.
On a used Trabant, the condition of the two-stroke engine with its petroil lubrication system, cracks in the Duroplast body, rust on the load-bearing steel floor pan beneath it, and the availability of spares, which today runs mainly through specialist classic dealers and Trabant clubs, all count.
Production of the P601 ended in 1990, before the EU emission stages were harmonised; as a petroil-lubricated two-stroke, the engine inherently produces far more unburnt hydrocarbons in its exhaust than even the earliest Euro 1 standard for four-stroke engines later allowed, which is why such vehicles today are only driven under classic-vehicle plates and the exemptions that go with them.
Sources: SpecCodex register, model data: Trabant
Technical data
Engine
| Cylinders | 2correct |
|---|---|
| Displacement | 594 cm³correct |
Dimensions and weights
| Width | 1,450 mmcorrect |
|---|---|
| Wheelbase | 2,020 mmcorrect |
| Unladen weight | 620 kgcorrect |
| Gross vehicle weight | 900 kgcorrect |
Drivetrain and chassis
| Wheels | 4correct |
|---|
Frequently asked questions
How much does the Trabant P 601 L weigh?
The unladen weight is 620 kg.
What is the gross vehicle weight of the Trabant P 601 L?
900 kg.
What engine does the Trabant P 601 L have?
2 cylinders, 594 cm³ displacement.
When was the Trabant P 601 L built?
Production years: 1978.
What to check before buying
- Check the hour meter against the service records — a replaced instrument is the most common gap.
- Compare the data plate and chassis number with the papers.
- Check the weights in the papers against the figures here — attachments change them.
- Ask about parts availability for this build year — the running costs hang on it.
A general list for this type of machine — no substitute for an inspection or an appraiser.
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This page carries 9 individual figures for this model. They come from 1 recorded source; every figure can be traced there. What we cannot document is not here — we leave gaps open rather than estimate them.
The technical data on this page comes from official vehicle registration records (RDW/Traficom), not from the manufacturer.
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Other models in this series
Sources: RDW — Dutch national vehicle register (retrieved August 2026) · How we check the data
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