1970 A25 CombiKraft Haus Technik was in a tight spot for 1969, when Galt automotive have slowly stopped support for the Communitasia Mk1 model, of which many part KHT cars shared. It was evident that a solution to the financial problem was needed, and luckily such a solution was found. As Galt re-spec'ed their factory to produce 2nd generation of Communitasia, the old equipment was first moved to storage and then auctioned off. Viktor Kruger, KHT Marketing officer has seen this opportunity, and outbid the competition for all the entire ironworks, mould presses, forge and CnC machinery and complete design documents to 1960 Galt Communitasia. Funnily enough his was the only bid, and a room full of confused people had to see a grown man dance-walk out of the bidding hall. The man had bought an entire future megacompany for the price of a few sandwiches and a beer.
Having moved all the equipment to a new lot in Poland, near a port town near the German border Szczecin, the mostly unemployed Kraft Haus Technik team has started work on designing, engineering and modifying the equipment to build their first car, based off a Galt Communitasia. The result? By 1970 the first Flug A25 Combi has seen the light of day.
Working off the 1960's technology, KHT team has changed little. Pistons were replaced to a higher C:R ratio units, the carburetor setup now was a twin carb Eco, and working with ignition timing and new camshaft profiles combined with a now available 92 and 98 ron petrol, the power barely increased, scoring 77hp and 200nm out of a 2.5 liter i4 engine. The fuel consumption for the 5 seater, however was phenomenal for the time - 10 liters / 100km, which was met with a grand cheer from the buyers, who had to wait less and pay less at the petrol stations where queuing was a normal thing
Continuing the idea of the KHT Alpinestrasse, the designers re-worked all of the body, leaving it in cheap steel, but giving it a bit more flare with chrome and new design choices. No longer a 4 seater coupe, but a 5 seater 2 door hatchback, the model was named Combi, although it never really combined anything. The general suspension was left unchanged, but used different settings for springs and dampers. Drum brakes were replaced by a new system of 2 piston calipers and disc brakes all around. Interior included standard seats and basic radio. Unlike the Galt Communitasia, the A25 used Power steering and an all new 3 speed automatic transmission outsourced to GM, which also proved a hit with the drivers as ease of use increased marginally. The dynamics of the car mattered little both to the Flug team and the buyers, but 0-100 was reached in just under 17 seconds, while top speed was around 150 kph.
Pricing was a bit high for the beginning, as a small factory was aggressively expanding, and thus needing all the extra funds to grow, but in a few years dropped significantly. Initial price for the A25 Combi was $15,000, later dropping to $12,000
As well as building their own cars, Flug automotive now could produce replacement communitasia Mk1 parts which also provided high income, keeping the little communist sibling marching on well into the mid 80's in some countries.
Few key stats
Drivability - 46
Practicality - 74
Utility - 47
Comfort - 22
Safety 29
Fuel economy - 10l/100km
Sportiness - 0, and that's the way Flug does things!
P.S: This is probably the best design I've ever done...at least in the classic era
Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2016 12:50 pm
can't wait to see how this turns out
And when I saw the pictures and read about the car, something remained me of Top Gear's episode where they compare a Rolls-Royce and a Mercedes to a Yugo in Albania.
