The East German Trabant was never officially imported into the UK, but since the collapse of the Berlin Wall a significant number entered made it into mainland Europe and a number of private imports arrived in the UK. Early cars used air cooled engines to drive the front wheels, the first models were launched in the mid 50’s and the more common 600 models released in 1962. With the exception of a VW Polo engine being fitted in the car for its last year, the design remained almost unchanged throughout its 29 year lifespan.