GUY’S Garage viewers were left stunned after a “crap” 35-year-old classic car was transformed into a race car fit to compete at Brands Hatch.
In the final episode of the popular Channel 4 show, the former motorcycle driver turned a vintage East German 1986 Trabant into a race car – and he didn’t disappoint.
All in the hopes of winning custom race events, Guy had previously created race cars from a Range Rover, a three-wheeled Piaggio Ape and a Volvo 240 Estate.
Guy and Cammy were originally facing a cost of £12,000 for a Trabant, with import duties still to factor in, and so travelled to Croydon in hopes of bagging a bargain.
They managed to buy a 26-horsepower 1986 Trabant which doesn’t run for the comparatively lower price of £2,100.
Guy then agreed to buy a spare Trabant engine for €3,000 euros, much to the dismay of Cammy and many viewers.
When it came to the final showdown, Guy was concerned about the safety of the other drivers, saying their cars were “miles faster”, calling the Trabant “dangerous”.
Other participants said it was “something never seen before”, even with Guy Martin’s extensive automotive history.
Around 3.7m Trabant models were produced between 1957 and 1991 and was the most popular car in East Germany at a time when buyers were placed on a waiting list of up to 13 years.
They came to define the East German automotive industry, although Trabant’s were known to have a poor build quality and were generally unreliable.
Automotive journalist Doug Demuro said: “The Trabant is loud, slow, poorly designed, badly built, tremendously inhospitable to drive, ancient, uncomfortable, confusing and inconvenient.
“If I were giving it stars, it would earn zero – if I were giving it thumbs, I’d have mine surgically removed before putting them up for the Trabant.”
All four episodes of Guy’s Garage are available to watch on All4.
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