The unique sports car traces its roots back to Soviet Germany, where racing driver and engineer Heinz Melkus built these with 1.0-liter three-cylinder engines, but put six cylinders under the hood of this particular example.
The RS 1000 was nicknamed “the DDR Ferrari” for its semblance with the Italian supercars. Heinz Melkus mostly specialized in building racecars, and the RS 1000 was his only road-legal production model.
Based on the Wartburg 353 sedan chassis, it came out in a production batch of 101 units. The model number (1000) corresponded to the engine displacement in cubic centimeters. This particular car, despite also being labeled RS 1000, apparently got a 1.3-liter two-stroke V6 by Müller-Andernach instead, which came equipped with three dual Solex carburetors.
The seller claims that the engine was originally capable of 110 PS (108 hp / 81 kW) and 180 Nm (133 lb-ft) of torque. Paired up with a five-speed manual transmission, it enabled a top speed of 200 km/h (124 mph). The car body was made of glass-fiber reinforced plastic, so it weighed only around 720 kilograms (less than 1,600 pounds).
The bidding for the car with around 13,400 km (8,326 miles) under its belt has reached €37,500 so far.
