The two Trabant 600 versions share the same name, engine, and gearbox; the choice is about the 30 kg kerb-weight gap and the 6 km/h top-speed gap, not about extra cylinders or a later generation.
The Trabant 600 ran as 1 generation from 1962-01-01 to 1964-12-31. Body type is Sedan 2-doors. Both catalogue versions are named 0.6 MT and both use the same Gasoline 595 cm³ Inline 2-cylinder engine with 23 hp (17 kW) at 3800 – 3900 rpm, 51 Nm at 2700 – 2800 rpm, Carburetor, No boost, Manual 4-speed, FWD, Front, transverse layout, compression 7.6, bore × stroke 72 × 73, fuel 76.
The two Trabant 600 versions share the same name, engine, and gearbox; the choice is about the 30 kg kerb-weight gap and the 6 km/h top-speed gap, not about extra cylinders or a later generation.
# Trabant 600: which version to buy (0.6 MT vs 0.6 MT)
The Trabant 600 ran as 1 generation from 1962-01-01 to 1964-12-31. Body type is Sedan 2-doors. Both catalogue versions are named 0.6 MT and both use the same Gasoline 595 cm³ Inline 2-cylinder engine with 23 hp (17 kW) at 3800 – 3900 rpm, 51 Nm at 2700 – 2800 rpm, Carburetor, No boost, Manual 4-speed, FWD, Front, transverse layout, compression 7.6, bore × stroke 72 × 73, fuel 76. The buy decision is not “which engine” — it is which of the two 0.6 MT rows to take when power is identical.
Specs that actually differ between the two 0.6 MT versions
| Version | hp | Nm | Displacement | Fuel | Cylinders / layout | Boost | Gearbox | Drive | Top speed | Kerb weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.6 MT (lighter) | 23 | 51 | 595 | Gasoline | 2, Inline | No | Manual 4 | FWD | 106 | 620 |
| 0.6 MT (heavier) | 23 | 51 | 595 | Gasoline | 2, Inline | No | Manual 4 | FWD | 100 | 650 |
Same name, same 23 hp: distinguish them by kerb weight and top speed, not by a second power figure.
Which 0.6 MT to choose: the arithmetic
Power per litre is the same on both rows: 23 hp ÷ 0.595 L ≈ 38.7 hp per litre. Torque per litre is also the same: 51 Nm ÷ 0.595 L ≈ 85.7 Nm per litre. Nothing in the engine block separates the two 0.6 MT versions.
Weight per horsepower does. The lighter 0.6 MT is 620 kg ÷ 23 hp ≈ 27.0 kg per hp. The heavier 0.6 MT is 650 kg ÷ 23 hp ≈ 28.3 kg per hp. That is 30 kg extra mass — about 4.8% more kerb weight — for the same 23 hp. Relative to the lighter car, the heavier 0.6 MT carries about 4.8% more kg per horsepower.
Top speed follows the mass gap in the same direction: 106 km/h on the 620 kg 0.6 MT versus 100 km/h on the 650 kg 0.6 MT. The lighter row is 6 km/h faster at the top (6% higher than 100). There is no 0–100 figure on either row (not measured), so you cannot claim a sprint difference from the data; you can only claim the measured top-speed and kerb-weight gap.
If the question is “what does the extra mass buy,” the data do not show extra power, extra gears, extra drive wheels, extra tank volume, extra ground clearance, or a different brake or spring type. Front and rear suspension on both 0.6 MT versions is Independent, leaf spring. Front and rear brakes on both are Drum. Tank is 24 L on both. Ground clearance is 155 mm on both. Wheel sizes are not measured on both. Gross weight is not measured on both. CO2, eco class, city / highway / combined consumption, and 0–100 are not measured on both.
So the extra 30 kg does not buy a second gearbox, AWD, or a larger tank in this catalogue. It coincides with a 6 km/h lower top speed. On the numbers given, the lighter 0.6 MT is the version that is faster at the top and lighter per horsepower; the heavier 0.6 MT is the version that is 30 kg more and 6 km/h slower, with every other listed mechanical field matching.
Generations: there is nothing later to “step up” to
There is 1 generation of Trabant 600. Years: 1962-01-01–1964-12-31. Body: Sedan 2-doors. Versions in that generation: 2, both labelled 0.6 MT. There is no second generation in the data, so there is no later body, no restyle generation, and no later engine to pay extra for. Comparing generations is comparing this one generation to itself: production window three calendar years, two mechanical rows, one body type.
What did not change between the two rows inside that generation: 23 hp, 17 kW, 51 Nm, 595 cm³, Gasoline, 2 Inline, No boost, Carburetor, Front, transverse, compression 7.6, 72 × 73, fuel 76, Manual 4, FWD, 24 L tank, 155 mm clearance, Independent, leaf spring front and rear, Drum front and rear. What did change: kerb 620 vs 650, top speed 106 vs 100.
Engine and drivetrain: both 0.6 MT share the same unit
Both 0.6 MT versions: Gasoline, 595 cm³, 2 cylinders, Inline, No boost, Front, transverse, Carburetor, 23 hp (17 kW) at 3800 – 3900, 51 Nm at 2700 – 2800. Valves per cylinder: not measured. Gearbox: Manual, 4 gears. Drive: FWD. Fuel grade in the data: 76.
There is no higher-output 0.6 MT, no automatic, and no other displacement in this model. “Which engine” collapses to “the only engine, twice.” Specific output stays ≈38.7 hp/L on both. Peak torque sits in a 2700 – 2800 rpm window; peak power in 3800 – 3900. Compression 7.6 is the same, so there is no higher-compression row to choose for more output.
Performance and economy: what is measured, what is not
0.6 MT (620 kg): 0–100 not measured; top speed 106; city mpg not measured; highway mpg not measured; combined mpg not measured; CO2 not measured.
0.6 MT (650 kg): 0–100 not measured; top speed 100; city mpg not measured; highway mpg not measured; combined mpg not measured; CO2 not measured.
Economy cannot decide the purchase: consumption is not measured on either 0.6 MT. Eco class is not measured. The only performance number that separates them is top speed (106 vs 100). Tank volume is 24 L on both, so range cannot be ranked without a consumption figure.
Dimensions and weight: the 30 kg fork
Kerb weight: 620 vs 650 on the two 0.6 MT versions. Difference: 30 kg. Gross weight: not measured on both, so payload is not measured. Ground clearance: 155 mm on both — no high-clearance variant. Tank: 24 L on both. Wheel sizes: not measured on both.
Weight-to-power again: ≈27.0 kg/hp on the lighter 0.6 MT, ≈28.3 kg/hp on the heavier 0.6 MT. If you want the lowest kg per hp in this model, that is the 620 kg 0.6 MT. If you accept 30 kg more for the same 23 hp, that is the 650 kg 0.6 MT, with top speed 100 instead of 106.
Reliability and problems: not in the spec sheet
The data do not list failure rates, rust scores, or spare-part life. What is listed on both 0.6 MT versions: Drum brakes front and rear, Independent, leaf spring front and rear, Carburetor, No boost, Manual 4, FWD. You cannot rank reliability between the two rows from these fields; they match. You can only note that neither version adds a different brake type, a different spring type, or boost.
Which version to buy, in one pass
- Choose the 0.6 MT with 620 kg kerb and 106 km/h top speed if you want the lower mass, the lower kg/hp (≈27.0), and the higher listed top speed, with the same 23 hp Gasoline 595 Inline 2, Manual 4, FWD.
- Choose the 0.6 MT with 650 kg kerb and 100 km/h top speed only if that row is the one you need for reasons outside these numbers: the data do not give extra hp, extra Nm, extra gears, extra tank litres, or extra millimetres of clearance for the extra 30 kg.
- Do not wait for another generation: Trabant 600 has 1 generation (1962-01-01–1964-12-31), Sedan 2-doors, 2 versions, both 0.6 MT.
- Do not decide on mpg or 0–100: both are not measured.
- Do not rename the versions: both stay 0.6 MT; separate them by 620 vs 650 kg and 106 vs 100 km/h.
That is the whole catalogue choice: one generation, one body, one engine, two 0.6 MT rows, 30 kg and 6 km/h apart.