Fascination for GDR and luxury cars continues unabated

North Saxony. Whether luxurious like Ferrari and Lamborghini or old school like Trabi or Wartburg: There are both luxury cars and vintage cars on the streets of North Saxony. In particular, GDR vehicles that are over 60 years old are back in fashion – especially among young people.

“The fascination for Trabis and GDR cars continues to grow. Young people and young adults in particular are buying these types of cars today. “They are now back in fashion,” confirms Roland Ebert, who has been running the Trabant and Ostalgie Museum Zum Roland in Podelwitz for 25 years. The museum shows 15 Trabis, but also cars that only exist once in the world, such as a Trabant motorhome with three axles, and are still in high demand today. But where does the fascination for models that have been driven by many generations before us come from?

“GDR cars are cultural assets”

“In GDR times there were so long waiting times for cars that people were happy if they had a car,” says Roland Ebert. “The fascination that arises when you see a Trabant today is also so great in my generation because the dreams and memories of youth come back to life.” Nevertheless, the older generations would no longer drive the GDR cars themselves, but would rather sell them or pass on to their grandchildren. They, in turn, would be particularly interested in being able to tinker with the cars themselves.

A large number of GDR vehicles can also be seen in northern Saxony. Not in everyday life, as Ebert says, but rather on the weekends. “It’s just a cultural asset. “You’re attached to the car,” says the 72-year-old and laughs. Ebert estimates that the most sought-after GDR cars are the Wartburg 313 and the Trabi. He is convinced: “GDR cars are also luxury cars. I don’t want to compare it to a Porsche, but people put a lot of money into it – and for them it’s pure luxury. If you want to own a classic car, the budget has to be right. Some people prefer a car like this to a Mercedes.”

718 Trabis and 1675 Wartburgs in northern Saxony

60-year-old Rüdiger Nicolai is also a big fan of GDR cars and regularly organizes classic car meetings, which are in great demand. He has been driving the Trabi model for 42 years – now his third. “It’s just fun to drive a car without additional technology,” he says. Young people in particular would own GDR cars these days. “GDR cars are still in vogue,” confirms Nicolai.

In the North Saxony district, 718 Trabis and 1,675 Wartburgs are currently registered out of around 118,000 cars, confirms the North Saxony district office. But in which cities do most of the registered rarities in the district drive? With 235 GDR cars, Delitzsch is in first place. This is followed by Torgau with 155, Eilenburg with 148 and Schkeuditz with 140 old classics on the roads. There are still 116 owners of GDR vehicles in Oschatz, 112 in Bad Düben and 102 in Taucha. Mügeln and Dahlen are in 8th and 9th place with 88 and 66 GDR cars, according to the North Saxony Road Traffic Office.

Most luxury cars are available in Schkeuditz

In contrast to the vintage cars on North Saxony’s streets, there are also some luxury cars on the road. To be precise: 17 Ferrari, 5 Lamborghini, 25 Jaguar and 228 Porsche as well as 6184 Mercedes cars. Such cars have their price: a Ferrari or a Lamborghini can rarely be had for less than 200,000 euros. By the way, the most luxury cars are in Schkeuditz: a total of 657 of the brands mentioned. This is followed by 635 of the luxury cars in Taucha, 555 in Torgau and 497 in Oschatz. There are 367 luxury brands in Eilenburg, while there are still 273 in Bad Düben, 161 in Mügeln and 114 in Dahlen.

There is still a Lamborghini Huracán to choose from at the PMG – Performance Mobility Group GmbH car dealership in Delitzsch. A Porsche was recently sold. But for Dirk Koltermann, who manages purchasing and sales at the car dealership, such sports cars are not necessarily luxury cars. “When do we define a car as a luxury car? Do we define it by price? Luxury is difficult to generalize or categorize. For me personally, a luxury car is more like a Rolls-Royce Cullinan, Maybach, Bentley or Ferrari.” Apparently not many of the expensive vehicles can be seen on the roads in northern Saxony, but Koltermann is sure that there are some in the district. “It is estimated that for every 100 cars in Delitzsch you only see 0.5 luxury cars.” What is the fascination with these luxury cars? “These cars are not mass-produced goods. Not everyone can get their hands on a car like this,” says Koltermann.

LVZ