1959 Borgward Isabella TS Coupe

The Isabella sought to translate ‘50s Detroit flash into a more compact Euro language, but it didn’t work; Americans wanted foreign cars that looked foreign

by Donald Osborne

Carl Borgward entered the German auto industry as the charismatic proprietor of the Hansa Company in Bremen, Germany, in 1929, and produced individual and technically advanced vehicles between the wars.

From 1938, Hansa cars were marketed under the name of its proprietor, and in post-war years, when car manufacture was resumed, the stylish “Hansa 1500” was Borgward’s flagship model. In 1954, the Isabella was launched, bodied as a unitary construction sedan, coupe, convertible, or station wagon, and powered by a 1,493-cc, four-cylinder engine, which, in the sporting TS75 version, developed 75 hp. The standard model developed 60 hp.

Karmann Ghia and Studebaker mix

The Isabella was a commercially successful model with over 200,000 units manufactured between 1954 and 1961, mainly for the German home market, with very few examples coming to the U.K. The two-door styling was distinctive, influenced in no small way, we feel, by Karmann Ghia...