Wedding car with a difference.

Former Bath Mayor Bryan Chalker’s venerable East German Trabant car saw 

 service on 14 May as a wedding limousine, transporting Katrin Hudewenz 

 and her father (both from East Germany) from Maybrick Road, Oldfield 

 Park, to the Assembly Rooms for the ceremony, which took place at 

 6.30pm.TRABANT WEDDING-16

It was probably the first time ever that a Trabant has been 

 used as an official wedding car in Britain and it created a huge amount 

 of interest from wedding guests (many of them from Germany) and 

 tourists, particularly as the Trabi retains its original 1973 featured, 

 including the iconic DDR plate denoting East Germany.TRABANT WEDDING-21

 The car had been seen in Bath on several occasions by Katrin, who 

 expressed the desire to have a Trabant as her wedding vehicle. 

 Husband-to-be Sam George traced Bryan via the Museum of Bath At Work and 

 arrangements were made for ‘Hermann’ to fulfill the role of ‘limousine’, 

 with the former Mayor acting as chauffeur!TRABANT WEDDING-26

 

 Bryan’s car is an acknowledged ‘Classic’ and has been in his ownership 

 for the past ten years. ‘Hermann’ was recovered from a Southstoke barn, 

 where it had reposed for 16 years, and Bryan purchased it for the 

 princely sum of £1.50p. The little car underwent a mechanical 

 restoration at Larkhall Garage.