Melkus RS 1000 Sport
The Melkus RS 1000 stands as one of the most remarkable achievements of Eastern Bloc automotive industry. Racing driver Heinz Melkus hand-built these mid-engined sports cars in Dresden using modified Wartburg 353 three-cylinder two-stroke engines mounted behind the driver. The fiberglass body was lightweight and aerodynamic with distinctive gullwing doors. Despite primitive two-stroke power, the low weight of just 680 kg provided impressive performance and the car successfully competed in motorsport. Each RS 1000 was essentially custom-built, taking months to complete. Only 101 were produced over 17 years, making it far rarer than most Western exotics. Today the RS 1000 is celebrated as a Communist-era curiosity that proved excellent sports cars could emerge from unlikely places.
Extremely rare with only 101 built and fewer surviving. Most examples remain in Germany. Two-stroke engine is modified Wartburg with triple carburetors. Fiberglass body requires specialist repair. Parts are essentially unobtainable. Values are very strong due to extreme rarity and historical significance. Communist sports car mystique adds appeal. Only for serious collectors of exotic and rare machinery.
Only 101 units hand-built from 1969-1986 in Dresden, East Germany. Each car took months to construct. Used modified Wartburg 353 three-cylinder two-stroke engine. Fiberglass body construction kept weight down. Successfully campaigned in East German motorsport. Production was essentially one-man operation. After reunification, a modern RS 2000 was developed but the original remains most celebrated.