| By
Stephanie Parsons CarPrices.com |
It's one of those bad guys with the collective conscience in "Star Trek: Next
Generation," isn't it? Or is it the language of those weird Teletubbies? No,
no, it's the little furry creature from that movie "Gremlins"? Hey wait, those
are Gremlins. Hmm...
Wrong on all counts (and the guessing must be stopped). The Borgward is a car.
German industrialist Carl F.W. Borgward, the creator of the Borgward, started his car-producing days in the mid-1920s with a simple three-wheel vehicle, the Blitzkarren. Though its name means "lightning cart," the Blitzkarren was anything but lightning fast. This first vehicle was primarily for use in his factory, though other small companies also found use for the 280 kg-load-carrying vehicle.
During the mid-1930s, Borgward produced his first "real" car, the Hansa 1100. This two-door, all-steel sedan progressed into the six-cylinder Hansa 1700 and 2000s. From 1939 on, the 2000s were the first of Borgward's cars to carry his name on the grille.
With the emergence of World War II, Borgward's attention was turned to mass producing trucks and artillery vehicles for the war effort. He still was able to produce a small number of Borgward 2300s, though the war movement allowed mainly for war production.
Due to his involvement with the war effort, Borgward was imprisoned for almost three years, until the middle of 1948. Nearly one-third of his 8,000 employees had been brought under his employment illegally from the Soviet Union. His imprisonment, along with the casualties of war, brought destruction to his factory.
With his release from prison, Borgward once again gained control of his company. With raw materials in short supply and under the control of the Allied Forces, Borgward formed three companies -- Borgward, Lloyd and Goliath -- to acquire three times the amount of supplies.
In 1949, the first new post-war German car was introduced: the Borgward Hansa 1500. Following this were the three-wheel Goliath 750 and the Lloyd LP300, also known as the Leukoplastbomber (the "Band-Aid Bomber"). In 1954, Borgward produced his dream car for the 1950s: the Isabella.
The production of the Lloyd Arabella in 1960 brought loss to the company. Following this loss, a recession hit the Borgward company, and the Bremen City Council appointed BMW as the new controller of the company. Brought up on bankruptcy charges (actually, he did pay all of his creditors and never did go bankrupt), Borgward was forced to sell his car machinery to Mexico. Other production plants popped up in Argentina and Brazil, Surbaja in Indonesia and Manila in the Philippines.
Borgward died in 1963, after the loss of his company. Production of the Mexican Borgward came to a halt in mid-1970.
Though production has ceased, the love for these cars still lives on. Borgward enthusiasts span the globe. Check out what some Borgward fans have to say:
"Borgward built microcars and trucks, smart compact cars, like the Goliath 1100, and sporty family sedans, like the Isabella TS; he created luxury cars with air suspension, racing cars and lots of progressive prototypes. Borgward was able to realize things, while Mercedes-Benz or Volkswagen still talked about the same problems. An example: a team of only 36 persons constructed the legendary Isabella! And the evolution of the whole car, which became a worldwide success, took only 13 months.
"Even today, Borgward means creativity, spirit, speed, flexibility and best of all: You can feel this by driving an Isabella, Arabella or even Hansa 1100. Today, I would like to buy a new car, which represents those ideas. Nobody wants to sell this car to me, so I have to drive my classic Borgwards." -- Christian Steiger, a Borgward owner and enthusiast. He lives in Ludwigshafen, Germany, and owns four Borgwards: 1958 Isabella TS Sedan, 1958 Goliath 1100 Sedan, 1960 Lloyd Arabella and 1961 Hansa 1100 Station Wagon. Steiger works as an automotive journalist.
"I have a selection of approximately 64 Borgwards, Goliath, Hansa Lloyds and Arabella cars and wagons. Also a good selection of new and used parts. I bought my first Borgward in 1964, which was a 1960 Hansa 1100 Combi and since then, kept adding to the fleet. During this time I have also owned many other makes of cars, but none that I have enjoyed as much as the Borgwards. I have hardly come across anyone that has had a bad word for them. Anyone that has owned an Isabella regrets that they sold it; many wish they still had them. Everywhere you go, people come up and admire them and tell you about the ones they owned or knew someone that had. I hope to enjoy my Borgwards for some time yet. I think what I like most is that they are very reliable and very nice to drive. Happy Borgwarding..." -- Dave Saunders, a Borgward owner and enthusiast.
And for more Borgward information, contact one of the following clubs: