1975 Wartburg Knight Tourist Estate review from UK and Ireland

Woodruff key on fan drive pulley. Just bought another head and gasket with intact fan mechanism as it was cheaper and easier to fix this way. The woodruff key had damaged the shaft.

A hardy rough car built for the coldness and isolation of European winters. Easy to repair and cheap to repair, which was what was needed in the communist block at the time. However the only reason to wait two or more years in a queue to buy one was the lack of choice. Compared to a Trabi, the Wartburg is a luxury car (Trabi's are cuter though).

Gloomy low rent decor inside and lousy handling. Around a corner it feels like the most non responsive thing I have ever driven, apart from a tractor. Why should the steering be that lousy??

The one I owned had sheepskin seat covers and at least the seats seemed to be OK. Decor though was painted cardboard, and I remember the window winders being particularly slow?? Or hard and slow?? A lot of turns for just up and down...

I have pictures of it which remind me how bad the interior was.