Wartburg Trabant IFA Club - Rare Cars Meet 'Ordinary' Cars at the Great British Car Journey

Published: 15/10/2021

Some of the rarest cars on Britain’s roads came head-to-head with Britain’s best-loved ‘ordinary’ cars at the newly-opened Great British Car Journey, Ambergate, Derbyshire.

Members of the Wartburg, Trabant, IFA Club UK gathered at the museum – which celebrates ordinary cars, as ‘driven by our dads’ – to stage a special display.

The selection of more than 20 vehicles from the former ‘eastern bloc’ included the only Zaporozhets 968M on the road in the UK (built in Russia, rear-engine air-cooled V4) and one of only two Tatra 613 cars (built in Czechoslovakia, rear-engine air-cooled V8), on UK roads. 

Also in the display were rare two-stroke Wartburgs, sold new in the UK from 1967, of which just 12 are left on the road, plus two-stroke Trabants (both made in East Germany).

An original Škoda Octavia saloon from 1964 (built in Czechoslovakia and sold in the UK and one of only two on the road here), Lada and Moskvitch (both from Russia) plus Škoda Favorit, Estelle and 110L models were driven to the event.

It was part of the club’s renowned annual ‘Red Oktober’ event over the weekend (9/10 October) that also saw it display at the Ecclesbourne Railway at Wirksworth, and Museum of Making (at Derby Silk Mills), alongside road runs on both days through the Peak District.

Owners had brought their cars from across the country, driving them from Glasgow, Teignmouth (Devon) and Colchester (Essex) to be at the event.

Says IFA Club Chairman Mel Holley: “It was great to add a one-day ‘extension’ to the fabulous display of British cars, with our models that were once sold in Britain, when car imports were still exotic things.

“It was our first visit to this fabulous museum – which is a ‘must visit’ – and we are already planning a return visit!”

The IFA Club is the home of eastern bloc classics and its 250 members have vehicles covering a remarkable 41 makes. 

For more information please visit: www.ifaclub.co.uk or www.greatbritishcarjourney.com