Wartburg Trabant IFA Club UK

The club is the UK home of eastern bloc vehicles, and the only club (rather than a Facebook site) catering for classic cars and commercials from the Cold War era.

We support everyone interested in ALL vehicle makes from former ‘iron curtain’ Soviet and Eastern bloc countries.

In total, around 290 club members own 376 Eastern Bloc vehicles from a total of 44 different manufacturers - a remarkable spread.

You do not have to own a vehicle to join, we have many 'passenger' members!

We also work with the three UK-based motorcycle clubs for the period (Jawa CZ Owners Club, MZ Riders Club, Cossack Owners Club), and welcome each other at our events.

The club is run entirely by volunteers with the sole purpose of bringing together like-minded people with an interest (and/or ownership) in all Eastern Bloc classic vehicles.

These range from cars, to commercial vehicles and motorcycles of various forms. While Trabants form the majority of vehicles owned by members, followed by other IFA group products including Wartburg and Barkas, there are plenty of others.

The full list of vehicle makes/brands owned by club members is:

• Auto Union (East Germany, pre-war) 
• Balkan (Bulgaria)
• Barkas (East Germany)
• CZ (Czechoslovakia)
• DKW (East Germany) 
• Dnepr (Ukraine)
• FSM (Poland)
• FSO (Poland)
• GAZ (USSR)
• IFA (East Germany)
• Ikarus (Hungary)
• Izh (USSR)
• IWL (East Germany)
• Jawa (Czechoslovakia)
• Junak (Poland)
• Komar (Poland)
• Lada (USSR)
• Moskvitch (USSR)
• MZ (East Germany)
• Oltcit (Romania)
• QEK (East Germany)
• Riga (USSR)
• Robur (East Germany)
• Romet (Poland)
• SeAZ (USSR)
• Simson (East Germany)
• SHL (Poland)
• Škoda (Czechoslovakia)
• Tarpan (Poland)
• Tatra (Czechoslovakia)
• Trabant (East Germany)
• UAZ (USSR)
• Ural (USSR)
• Ursus (Poland)
• Velorex (Czechoslovakia) 
• Volga (USSR)
• Voskhod (USSR)
• Wartburg (East Germany) 
• WFM (Poland)
• WSK (Poland)
• Yugo (Yugoslavia)
• Zastava (Yugoslavia)
• Zaporozhets (Ukraine)
• Żuk (Poland)

Formed in 1969 as the Wartburg Owners Club - at a time when the cars were sold new in the UK as right-hand drive models - when direct supply ceased in 1976 the club then started a spares operation.

After the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989, other East German vehicles could then be bought secondhand, with the Trabant being a popular import to the UK. Since then the club has expanded to serve enthusiasts of all makes.

With the collapse of the USSR and the change of political system across the Eastern Bloc even more vehicles have become available and UK enthusiasts have been keen to acquire these once-derided, but durable, cars, vans, trucks, motorcycles and mopeds.