 | |
| Industry | Automotive |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1905 |
| Defunct | 1931 |
| Fate | Takeover by Borgward |
| Headquarters | Bremen, Germany |
| Products | Automobiles |
Hansa-Automobil Gesellschaft m.b.H was a German car brand established in 1905, which in 1914 was merged with Norddeutsche Automobil und Motoren AG (NAMAG) into Hansa-Lloyd-Werke A.G.. From 1929 to 1931 it was taken over by the Borgward group. Hansa was based in the Bremen suburb of Hastedt.
The first cars were licence-built Kriéger electric vehicles, beginning in 1905. Petrol-engined models followed in 1908 with 3685 cc engines, but few were made. Belgian electrical engineer, Paul Mossay, was employed for four years as chief engineer, designing both engines and electric vehicles. [1] In 1914 the company merged with Lloyd to become Hansa-Lloyd Werke AG. The company continued to change names and badging on a number of occasions and were never on a sound financial footing. [2]
Most of the Hansa/Lloyd cars made during this period were sold as Hansa with the Hansa-Lloyd name mainly attached to commercial vehicles, with the exception of the Treff-Aß and the Trumpf-Aß. In 1929 the company was integrated in the Borgward group after the purchase of Hansa by Carl F. W. Borgward, and car production ceased.
Hansa-Automobilwerke founder Robert Allmers remained at the head of the company through the 1920s, as well as being the founder of the "Gemeinschaft der Deutschen Automobilfabriken" (Association of German Carmakers, GDA). [2] GDA incorporated truck manufacturers N.A.G., Hansa-Lloyd, and lower-cost automobile manufacturer Brennabor (and later also Helios (automobile) and railroad car manufacturers Hawa) but were never able to successfully merge or streamline the operations of the various companies. When automobile production resumed after World War I, Hansa-Lloyd's sole model was the Treff-Aß (Ace of Clubs), a robust if somewhat outdated car based on pre-war designs. [3] Its engine was a 4-litre four-cylinder producing 60 PS (44 kW). Allmers, however, was determined to manufacture a modern high-end automobile and in 1922 he ordered Hansa-Lloyd's engineers to develop an eight-cylinder car incorporating all of the latest technical developments. At the German Automobile Show in Berlin in the fall of 1923, the all new 16/80 with a 4.2-litre inline-eight was presented. [3] For unknown reasons - although a series of strikes in 1924 may have had an impact - the car never entered series production, with the company enjoying steady sales of the sturdy old 18/60 and focusing on the development of an all-new light truck instead.
Allmers' dream of a luxury car had not abated, however, and in 1924 he hired an Italian engineer named Pellegretti away from Isotta-Fraschini. Pellegretti developed a new, more powerful and somewhat larger car which was introduced at the Berlin Show in 1925. The new 8-cylinder 4.6-litre Hansa-Lloyd 18/100 Trumpf-Aß (Ace of Trumps) produced 100 PS (74 kW) and sat on a 3,550 mm (140 in) wheelbase. [4] The imposing new car was as good as anything else built in Germany at the time, but the development cost and minuscule production numbers helped lead to Allmers being gradually pushed out of the running of the company by the late 1920s. In spite of small sales, the Ace of Trumps saw continuous development during its production run: in 1927 or 1928 the engine was enlarged from 4,630 to 5,220 cc (283 to 319 cu in), the name accordingly changing to 20/100, while the wheelbase increased to 3,640 mm (143 in) in 1928 and to 3,750 mm (148 in) in 1929. [5] After Borgward's takeover, eight-cylinder production ended in 1930 as the world entered the Great Depression. The Borgward group also included the Varel-produced Hansa A8 17/95PS eight-cylinder car, powered by an American-made Continental engine. [6] The last 20/100 cars continued to be sold into 1931 as the "Hansa Imperator;" [7] these were equipped with a bored out 5.8-litre engine. [6]
The Hansa-Lloyd factory was located opposite of Borgward's own Goliath factory on Föhrenstrasse in Bremen-Hastedt; the Hansa-Lloyd truck range complemented the Goliath range while the purchase also allowed Carl Borgward to fulfill his dream to produce his own cars. Carl Borgward stopped Hansa-Lloyd's production of luxury cars, but from 1933 onwards the brand name Hansa became the name of several Borgward passenger car models. The Hansa Konsul and Hansa Matador were introduced and shortly thereafter the small rear-engined Goliath Pionier-derived Hansa 400 and 500.
In April 1933 the tax rules which had been favoring small cars such as the Hansa 400 were abolished; the slow selling smaller Hansas were discontinued soon thereafter. Borgward decided to instead produce the new Hansa 1100 four-cylinder two-door and four door all-steel Sedan, and then the six-cylinder 1700 and 2000. From 1939, the 2000 carried the Borgward brand. The name Hansa started to be phased out, becoming Hansa Borgward, then Borgward Hansa and finally Borgward.
Until 1937, the Hansa-Lloyd brand was used on a number of commercial vehicles (trucks and buses), from the one-ton "Express" to the five-ton "Merkur". These models were largely replaced by Borgward-branded vehicles, with a few models sold with just "Hansa" badging in 1938. [8]
In the Second World War, the Bremen factory was completely destroyed.
The Borgward Hansa 1500, sold from 1949 onwards, was the first new car construction in Germany, followed by the Borgward Hansa 2400 large fastback sedan in 1952. From 1958, during the last three years of production, the former Goliath 1100 automobile were sold under the Hansa 1100 brand name until the Borgward group collapsed in 1961.
The former Borgward car manufacturing company, based in Bremen, Germany, was founded by Carl F. W. Borgward (1890–1963). It produced cars of four brands, which were sold to a diversified international customer base: Borgward, Hansa, Goliath and Lloyd. Borgward's Isabella was one of the most popular German premium models in the 1950s, while Lloyd's Alexander / Lloyd 600 model offered affordable mobility to many working-class motorists. The group ceased operations in 1961, following controversial insolvency proceedings.
Lloyd Motoren Werke G.m.b.H. was a German automobile manufacturer, created in 1908 and owned by the Norddeutscher Lloyd shipping company. The factory was in Bremen. The company operated under a variety of different names throughout the decades, but their products were nearly always badged with the Lloyd marque. Originally a manufacturer of luxury cars, the company was folded into the Borgward Group in 1929, with the brand not used on passenger cars again until 1950. Production ended for good in 1963, although a successor company continued trading until 1989, selling replacement parts, as well as manufacturing engines for snowmobiles and boats.
Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Borgward was a German engineer and designer and the creator of the Borgward group, based in Bremen.
Goliath-Werke Borgward & Co. was a German car manufacturer started by Carl F. W. Borgward and Wilhelm Tecklenborg in 1928, and was part of the Borgward group. Goliath was based in Bremen and specialized in three-wheeler cars and trucks and medium-sized cars. Their vehicles were sold under the Goliath brand.
The Sd.Kfz. 11 was a German half-track that saw widespread use in World War II. Its main role was as a prime mover for medium towed guns ranging from the 3.7 cm FlaK 43 anti-aircraft gun up to the 10.5 cm leFH 18 field howitzer. It could carry eight troops in addition to towing a gun or trailer.
The Steiger company was founded in 1914 as Maschinenfabrik Walther Steiger & Co. by the Swiss engineer Walther Steiger (1881–1943) in Burgrieden near Ulm, Germany. In 1921 it became a limited company. During its short life the firm produced circa 1,200 vehicles.
The Borgward Isabella is an automobile which was manufactured by the Bremen based auto-manufacturer Carl F. W. Borgward GmbH from 1954 to 1962.
The Borgward Hansa 2400 was an executive six-cylinder saloon (E-segment) presented in 1951, and manufactured by the Bremen based auto-manufacturer Carl F. W. Borgward GmbH from 1952 until 1959. The car was launched as a four-door fastback saloon; a longer-wheelbase notchback version appeared a year later. The Hansa 2400 suffered from teething troubles including inadequate brakes and problems with the automatic transmission Borgward developed for it. In a small closely contested market, the large Borgwards lost out to less flamboyant models from the German south.
The Goliath GP700 is a small automobile which was manufactured by the Bremen, Germany–based Borgward subsidiary Goliath-Werke Borgward & Co from 1950 to 1957. In 1955, the GP700 was joined by the larger-engined Goliath GP900 E. From 1951 to 1953, a coupé version, the Goliath GP700 Sport was offered. The Goliath was a revolutionary design, which in several important respects pointed the way for automobile development in the second half of the 20th century.
The Goliath 1100 and later the Hansa 1100 is a small automobile that was manufactured from 1957 until 1961 by the Bremen based Goliath-Werke Borgward & Co, a subsidiary of Borgward. A two-door saloon and a three-door kombi (estate) version were available from launch and a two-door coupe was introduced a year later. For 1959, the Goliath name was discontinued and the car was rebadged as the Hansa 1100, recalling Borgward’s prewar model of the same name.
The Goliath Pionier is a small three-wheeled two-seater vehicle first presented by Carl F. W. Borgward at the 1931 Berlin motor show. It remained in production until 1934, by when approximately 4,000 had been produced.
The Borgward B 3000 was a medium-sized truck made by German manufacturer Carl F. W. Borgward GmbH between 1941 and 1944 in the Bremen-Sebaldsbrück works. After World War II, B 3000 production continued from July 1948 to 1950. There was also an electric version named Borgward BE3000.
The Goliath F400 is a three-wheeled pickup transporter, made by Hansa-Lloyd and Goliath Company Borgward & Tecklenborg in Bremen, Germany which was sold under the brand Goliath. It was based on the three-wheeled passenger car Goliath Pionier with a closed timber-framed wood cab.
The Hansa 400 is a microcar made in 1933 to 1934 by Hansa Lloyd and Goliath Company, Borgward & Tecklenborg in Bremen, Germany. After about a year in production, it was replaced by the next model Hansa 500 with a bigger engine.
The Goliath GD750 was a three-wheeler pickup truck built by the Goliath division of the Borgward Group in Bremen from April 1949 to 1955 in various body variants. In the early 1950s, low-cost vans were popular with small craft businesses. In 1949, the purchase price for flatbed variant was DM 3600. In total, 30,093 units of the GD750 were built. In 1950 and 1951, a huge quantity of vehicles were built, 8468 and 7136 units respectively. The number 750 in the type designation indicated the possible payload of 750 kg.
The Borgward BE3000, later sold as Lloyd EL3000, was the electric drive version of the German military truck Borgward B 3000, a 6600 lb or 3000 kg mid class truck.
The Goliath Rapid is a lorry made by Bremer Kühlerfabrik Borgward & Co. GmbH in Sebaldsbrück. The Rapid, which technically was an improved version of the Goliath Blitzkarren, was sold under the Goliath brand name. Bordward's radiator-producing company was later renamed to Goliath-Werke Borgward & Co. GmbH.
The Blitzkarren was a cab-less tricycle freight cart based on a motorcycle. It was produced in 1924 as the first complete production vehicle manufactured by the Bremer Kühlerfabrik Borgward & Co. GmbH. The company, located in Sebaldsbrück, a settlement in Hemelingen, Bremen, Germany previously produced radiators and fenders for Hansa-Lloyd. Between 1929 and 1931 Hansa-Lloyd was acquired by Carl Borgward and his co-investor Wilhelm Tecklenborg. Borgward also renamed his radiator manufacturing company to Goliath-Werke Borgward & Co. GmbH.
The Standard P503 was a three-wheeler light freight truck, produced from 1935 to 1939 by Wilhelm Gutbrods Standard Werkzeugfabrik, Germany.
Peter Kurze is a German publisher and author. He became known through his book series on the history of the automobile.