Borgward Isabella
The Borgward Isabella is an automobile which was manufactured by the Bremen based auto-manufacturer Carl F. W. Borgward GmbH from 1954 to 1962.
| Borgward Isabella | |
|---|---|
Borgward Isabella Saloon (1960) | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Carl F. W. Borgward GmbH |
| Also called | Borgward Hansa Isabella |
| Production | June 1954-1962 |
| Assembly | Bremen-Sebaldsbrück |
| Body and chassis | |
| Body style | 2 door saloon cabriolet station wagon coupe (2+2) cabriolet (2+2) 2-door pickup |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 1493 cc 75hp straight-4 |
| Transmission | 4-speed manual |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2,600 mm (102.4 in) |
| Length | 4,390 mm (172.8 in) |
| Width | 1,705 mm (67.1 in) |
| Height | 1,480 mm (58.3 in) |
| Curb weight | 1,010 kg (2,230 lb) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Borgward Hansa 1800 |
The Isabella was to have been marketed as the Borgward Hansa 1500 but the Isabella name was used on test vehicles and proved popular with engineering staff and media. The production car was subsequently renamed and only the first few hundred examples were built without Isabella badging. Hansa badging was also used through to 1957.
Despite its aspirational positioning in the marketplace, the Isabella had a smaller engine (and was marginally shorter) than its immediate predecessor, the Borgward Hansa. Late in 1952, the firm had launched their six-cylinder Hansa 2400 model. The larger car never found many buyers; but in 1954, it made commercial sense to keep the two models from competing too directly with each other.