Photo: Unsplash
BORGWARD: A HISTORIC GERMAN AUTOMAKER
Borgward had success from its first vehicle in the 1920s, to its famous Isabella cars in the 1950s. But by 1959, time was running out for Borgward: circumstances led to the company ceasing production in 1962. Daimler-Benz and BMW filled the void and all but eclipsed the memory of Borgward as a German car brand.
BEGINNINGS AND BREMEN Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Borgward was born 10 November 1890 in Altona, Hamburg. As a child, Borgward loved to tinker with parts and, in about 1900, he built his first motorised toy car. He attended the Hamburg Machine Construction School and worked as an engineer’s apprentice for Mencke and Ham62
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Issue 103
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March 2023
brock. Borgward then enrolled at the Technical High School in Hanover, and held a job in a steel manufacturer’s office. Borgward moved to Bremen in 1912 and worked as an engineer for Schellhass and Druckenmuller, a steel company, and relocated to Berlin in 1914. He was drafted into the German Army in 1915, was wounded and spent months recuperating in a military hospital. After being discharged, he joined Franke Textile Company in Bremen, and acceded to head of its technical department.
presented his first vehicle in 1924, the threewheeled Blitzkarren (‘Lightning Cart’) delivery van. The Blitzkarren was a hit with tradesmen and the Deutsche Reichspost. Borgward demonstrated the vehicle himself in the streets of Bremen, to drum up business. The company moved to Industriestrasse in 1925, and Borgward produced another three-wheeler in 1926, the Goliath. The company further expanded in 1928, and acquired a majority share in Hansa-LloydWerke, a body works firm, in 1929, leading to ownership and a merger in 1931. This move created the Borgward Group. The company did well: the Goliath Pioneer, another three-wheeler, was the best-selling car in Germany at this time.
HERE’S HANSA THREE-WHEELERS In 1919, Borgward joined automotive firm Bremer Reifen-Industrie GmbH. Borgward
Borgward launched the Hansa line in 1934, with the 1100 and 1700 autos, and plans for expansion at a new Bremen-Sebaldsbrück
TEXT: ERIC BRYAN
Borgward isn’t a household name today, but in the 1950s and early '60s, this German carmaker was rivalling Volkswagen, and some of its models were outperforming Porsches. Founded by Carl FW Borgward, the Bremen-based company also produced trucks and a helicopter.