MILESTONES of BORGWARD
BORGWARD LEGENDS
Borgward cars have always set standards.
These are some of the unforgettable models for automobile enthusiasts.
SIX MILESTONES OF INNOVATION

Although it was a brave and self-confident act for Carl F.W. Borgward to establish his company as an automotive supplier, producing radiators and fenders after the end of the first World War, this was merely an interim step for Carl F.W. Borgward. This 29-year-old engineer wanted to design and build cars – nothing else. The famous Blitzkarren (“Lightning Cart”) he produced in 1924 marked the starting point. It fulfilled the need for a cheap means of inner-city transportation and paved the way for a succession of vehicles, which by the end of the decade had captured a 25 per cent share of the light commercial vehicle market. Borgward’s partner, businessman Wilhelm Tecklenborg, sold Blitzkarren three-wheelers to the Deutsche Reichspost and these light trucks were employed to collect mail from Bremen’s post boxes. When a new name was proposed for the truck, the employees were in favor of ‘Lilliput’ but Borgward, always a big thinker, decided on the ‘Goliath’ name instead. Four years later, an entire generation of green grocers, bakers, farmers, and tradesmen took to the wheel of the new Goliath. This was how we acheived one of the milestones of Borgward.

1949
BORGWARD HANSA 1500

It was at the end of the Forties, when spirited automotive genius Carl F. W. Borgward was already thinking outside of the box. After completing the development of a new vehicle in the post-war era, Borgward set a standard that all other carmakers were trying to follow in the coming years. The Hansa 1500, first introduced during the Geneva International Autoshow in 1949, marked the first European vehicle to have a pontoon body with wings integrated into the bodywork. This was how we acheived one of the milestones of Borgward.

1952
GOLIATH GP 700E

Carl F. W. Borgward was a pioneer. Whether being first-to-market with a new product or technology, his spirit remained a motivating force throughout brand history. First premiered in 1952, the Goliath GP 700E anticipated a technology that was not adopted in mass production until the end of the 20th century. Back then, almost 50 years earlier, Carl F. W. Borgward was the first automaker to express enthusiasm in the potential of direct fuel injection systems. Direct fuel injection systems could improve consumption, drivability and emissions, especially in conjunction with the two-stroke engines that were commonplace in 1952. The Goliath GP 700E was a sensation and set a milestone in automotive history, for it was the first regular production car with direct fuel injection, offering motorists an incredible 30 percent reduction in fuel consumption over a carbureted engine. Overrun fuel cutoff reduced emissions of the car’s neat 700 cc 29hp two-stroke engine. This was how we acheived one of the milestones of Borgward.

BORGWARD HANSA 2400


BORGWARD ISABELLA


BORGWARD P 100

BORGWARD IN NUMBERS