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Borgward Blitzkarren/courtesy of me.me.funpic.de
Borgward, a German automaker which has virtually disappeared into obscurity over the last 40 years, was once a healthy and promising automotive enterprise, and because of its untimely and unnecessary demise, it is the number 3 defunct automaker that should have survived.
Borgward was founded by Carl F. W. Borgward in 1919, beginning by manufacturing car parts just as Hansa-Lloyd Enterprises was beginning to build cars. Heavily dependent on each other, both companies grew into successes.
Borgward, however, was not satisfied building only parts. He wanted to build cars themselves. So in 1922, Borgward introduced its first vehicle, the Blitzkarren - 'lightning cart' in English. Although its name was by no means fitting, as its 3-wheeled bathtub-shaped body was powered by an 'asthmatic' 2hp engine, the vehicle far outsold expectations. Mere months after its debut, Borgward had sold over 1000 Blitzkarrens, because of their simplicity and affordability.
Hansa Konsul/courtesy of carsablanca.de
As Borgward's company grew, his interest in his business partner grew. He became managing director of Hansa-Lloyd AG, and in 1931 the Hansa Konsul was introduced. Offering four- and six-cylinder engines instead of eight-cylinder engines, the Konsul appealed to a broader audience and was a decent success. Peculiarly, production stopped in 1932.
The relationship between Borgward and Hansa-Lloyd became rather cloudy throughout the rest of the 1930s and the 1940s. In 1937, Borgward re-emerged as the new face and name of the ailing Hansa-Lloyd AG, producing the Borgward 2000 and 2300 under its new identity: a prominent diamond emblem on the front grill. Then, after WWII, the company introduced a new model (and created a lot of confusion) called the Borgward Hansa 1500. A more basic model than the 2000/2300, the 1500 still achieved only mediocre sales figures despite its broader-yet appeal.
Borgward Isabella/courtesy of wikimedia.org
But in 1954, Borgward finally got the formula right with the Isabella. Although it was more of a typical three-box sedan design than its predecessors, the Isabella sold more than all of them combined. After 7 years of production and several model updates including an upgraded engine and the addition of sports coupe, station wagon, and truck models, over 200,000 Isabellas were sold.
With a sense of pride and accomplishment and a bright outlook toward the future, Borgward introduced the P100 in 1959. With a more powerful 2.3L engine and an ultra-smooth pneumatic suspension, the P100 tried to move Borgward upmarket, hoping to compete with companies like Mercedes-Benz and BMW.
Unfortunately, the P100 didn't live up to the success of the Isabella, and that ultimately spelled the end of Borgward. In 1961, despite Carl Borgward's insistence that his company was solvent, his creditors forced him into bankruptcy. As the process carried out, his creditors were paid in full and soon learned that Borgward was indeed in the black.
Later, the German magazine Der Spiegel determined that Borgward could have easily avoided bankruptcy and recovered quickly with some help... thus making Borgward's demise entirely unnecessary.
But the damage was done. In 1963, only two years after the company dissolved, Carl Borgward died, and although a Mexican entrepreneur attempted to revive the company in 1967, Borgward eventually disappeared into the annals of history.
Perhaps if those creditors had more faith in Borgward, the company could have flourished and become one of Germany's best car companies.
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