This car never officially made it to the US. The 353 was introduced in 1966. It had a very simple 3 cylinder, 2 stroke engine of 1000ccs with only seven moving parts (three pistons, three connecting rods and one crankshaft). The body was made of steel and when compared to the other East German car, the Trabant, it was downright luxurious. (The 353S - De Luxe - model came with things such as an electronic ignition, 5 speed transmission, front and rear fog lights, an alarm system and a central door locking system.)
In many parts of the world the Wartburg was dismissed because it, like the awful Trabant, was a 2 stroke car from East Germany. (Awful by association, I guess.) In reality, the Wartburg 353 wasn't all that bad. Think of it as an Eastern European version of a Saab 93. Like the Saab, it is FWD and the engine has a freewheeling device. In the areas of Europe where the 353 sold well it is known as a simple car that runs forever (as long as you remember to mix the proper ratio of oil and gasoline). It still has a large following and is often seen in small European racing / rallye events.This Wartburg 353 is listed as a 1977 model year car. The seller believes that it is actually a 1985 or 1986 (It was imported prior to it being 25 years old, which most likely explains the 1977 title.) The engine is brand new as the previous owner ran the car with an improper gas / oil mixture and seized the original engine. The seller is including the original, seized engine in the sale. (I have no idea why - A seized 2 stroke is pretty much useless.)
This car looks to be in really nice condition. The body and interior look to be original.(The bumper has some rust bubbles and the seller says there's a small rip in one of the seat bolsters, but that's to be expected in a car this old.)This is a really interesting looking car. The hood and trunk have a BMW Neue Klasse (1600, 2002, etc.) style to them. The roof and doors would look at home on an old Fiat sedan. The only styling letdown is the front end, which is pretty generic and unimaginative. Still, put a set of period correct aftermarket wheels on this and it would actually look pretty cool. The stock engine is not powerful and the car is slow (80-85 MPH, tops), but according to a few websites, the engine can be modified to a point where it will hit 110 - 120 MPH.
In my "fantasy garage" are a few Eastern European cars. This one is now parked there, too.Located in Camp Hill, PA, click here to see the eBay listing.
A little more Wartburg trivia... The Melkus RS 1000 sports car was based on the Wartburg 353.
