Lifestyle

From the bleak corners of communist East Germany came this odd little car. Despite being rickety and slow, it was a big seller until its homeland was suddenly quashed in 1989.

But now the smoke-belching car that zoomed from 0-62mph in a matter of 21 seconds is coming back, and this time it's electric. 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Trabant nT will be unveiled at Frankfurt's International Motor Show.

The originals, first made in 1957, sported roofs, bonnets and doors made from plastic reinforced by the sturdiest wool or cotton money can buy.

These newer, city models will have a roof-top solar panel to recharge its battery. Why is it coming back? Surprisingly, it's due to popular demand: a poll claimed that 93% of people want it back. What about the other forgotten relics of the car world?