The Cars We Drove into Capitalism

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In the Eastern Bloc, in almost every family there was a much loved, long-awaited polished and groomed Moskvich, Trabi or Dacia. It represented a touch of freedom, opening new horizons to make that long-dreamed trip to East Germany, Bulgaria or Hungary, or at least to the lake or mountains.

These products of the Socialist automotive industry were usually out of fashion, slow, clumsy, a pain to drive and repair —

but still they were status symbols, no less important than a Chevy or a Mercedes in the West.

Moreover, producing cars was also a question of national prestige - even countries without any automotive traditions (like Bulgaria or Romania) felt obliged to start production of their “own” makes, even if it meant only assembling some other car-maker’s rebranded models.