Eastern European dominance
The 1950s were a rather special time for the car people. The currency situation and restrictions opened up car imports from Eastern Europe. Small and cheap cars from Eastern Europe were a common sight on Norwegian roads at the time.
Establishment of the car brands
But it wasn't like that from the start. Before Germany was divided after the war, many of the most famous car factories were located in the east of the country. Production started with the Wartburg in 1896 and a number of well-known car brands were established in the following years. The car brand Wartburg, which had changed its name to "Dixi", was bought by BMW in 1929 and the cars were given a new name. That became the basis for BMW which until then had been known as a major manufacturer of aircraft engines. New and fast car models from BMW became a real challenge for the competitors and several of them joined forces in the 1930s to form "Autounion".
IFA P-70
After 1945 and the division of Germany, car production had to be reorganized. Unclear ownership of both brand names and technical solutions made the situation unclear. But car production quickly got under way in the east with IFA as the most famous brand. Here in Norway, IFA sold well thanks to favorable import rules and the small 2-strokes became a common sight on our roads. Since the IFA was a relatively old construction, it was replaced by the model "P 70" in 1955. Initially, this model was an IFA with a new plastic body. The new "P 70" was regarded by car buyers as a decent and modern family car. It was spacious and covered the needs of a normal family. But it never achieved high status due to its origins in the East and it had a smell and sound that made car enthusiasts wrinkle their noses. In marketing, the solution with a plastic body was used as the main argument. According to the ads, this was the first utility and family car with a modern body made of plastic material. It was also marketed in many countries as "Plastic IFA". But the outdated technique could not be hidden for long and it was replaced by the new model "Trabant" in 1959.
Facts IFA P-70
Length: 374 cm
Width: 150 cm
Top speed: approx. 100 km/h
Engine: 684 ccm, 22 hp
See
Norwegian car listed in the vehicle register as Wartburg P-70.
Anders de Lange
Anders de Lange writes about car history. He has written about cars and car history for over 30 years, published his own books and written for the Norwegian car press.