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
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 and perhaps Studebaker in America, a curious but effective blend.
This 1959 Borgward Isabella TS Coupe has been the subject of a comprehensive professional restoration including coachwork, suspension and drivetrain, and the interior has been refurbished. Photographs of the restoration are offered with the car. This right-hand-drive car is presented in pale green livery and furnished with brown leather upholstery.
It is offered with a Swansea V5 registration document, old style logbook, distinctive registration number, current road fund licence, and MOT certificate to February 2007. We feel this 1959 TS Coupe would stand well and be a serious competitor on the concours d'elegance lawns.
SCM Analysis
Detailing
| Number Produced: | 202,862 (all types) |
| Original List Price: | $3,750 |
| Tune Up Cost: | $125 |
| Distributor Caps: | $20 |
| Chassis Number Location: | On engraved plate, right inner fender top in engine compartment; also stamped into same panel |
| Website: | http://www.members.tripod.com/~CALBORG/master.html |
| Alternatives: | 1958 Auto Union 1000SP, 1959 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia, 1959 Mercedes-Benz 190SL |
| Investment Grade: | D |
This 1959 Borgward Isabella TS Coupe sold for $25,517 at the Bonhams sale, Harrogate U.K., November 15, 2006.
The Borgward Isabella TS coupe was yet another attempt by European manufacturers to cash in on the lucrative U.S. market with a car designed to appeal to “American tastes.”
Like the Auto Union 1000SP, a miniature Ford Thunderbird, the Isabella coupe sought to translate ’50s Detroit flash into a more compact Euro language.
But it never worked; if an American wanted a foreign car, he generally wanted one that didn’t look like the domestic cars he didn’t want to buy in the first place.
Hansa and Goliath Set The Scene
Carl Borgward entered the German auto industry by purchasing two established automakers in 1929, Hansa and Goliath, and then concentrating on commercial vehicles.
His first real car was the 1934 Hansa 1100, a four-cylinder model with a four-speed transmission and rakish looks clearly aimed at upwardly-looking middle-class drivers. Borgward took a short break after WWII; like a number of German businessmen, his bombed-out factory had been staffed by “involuntary workers” (otherwise known as slave labor) during the war, and he spent three years in prison.
But it gave him time to think and once free, he rebuilt his factories and launched the first new post-war German designs at the Geneva show in 1949. The Borgward Hansa 1500 was a modern, slab-sided design, and with the later six-cylinder 2400 it proved very popular, selling more than 175,000 units in five years.
GAVE PORSCHES A RUN FOR THE MONEY
This led to a racing variant-the 1500RS-and it gave the dominant Porsches a run for their money in some events, including the 1953 Nürburgring 1000 km, in which one finished third overall, ahead of the Porsche 550s. Famous drivers who campaigned 1500s included Jo Bonnier and Hans Hermann.
What would become the company’s last major model was the Isabella, introduced in 1954. Named for Borgward’s wife, it featured unibody construction and continued the all-independent suspension introduced on the Hansa. The range eventually encompassed a sedan, convertible, station wagon and the coupe. It was to be Borgward’s all-out assault on the rich American market.
As part of Borgward’s racing program, an Isabella TS Coupe won its class in the 1955 Mille Miglia, repeating in the 1958 “rally” version of the event. A worsening financial situation forced the end of racing in 1958, although a modified sedan set a class record at Bonneville at nearly 100 mph before driving around the entire U.S.
Under slightly mysterious circumstances involving financing irregularities as seen by the regional government, the company was forced into bankruptcy in 1961. Shortly thereafter Borgward suffered a heart attack and he died in 1963. Some saw the hand of other German manufacturers in the company’s ruin, but nothing has ever been proven.
Shortly before the shut-down, a new six-cylinder model was launched and the tooling for this car, along with the previous models, was shipped to Mexico, where variations were made up until 1970.
SUBARU BOUGHT THE FLAT-4
An interesting footnote to the Borgward story is the Subaru connection. A smaller model, called the Arabella, after his daughter, debuted in 1959 with a water-cooled, flat-four engine. It was immediately licensed by Subaru, which launched the power plant in their 1968 model line. Since then, the engine has been developed into the current WRX and fearsome World Rally racers.
The attractive Isabella TS coupe was positioned as a “grand tourer” rather than a sports car, as it weighed even more than the sedan on which it was based. However, the engines are regarded as responsive and flexible and given the comfortable seats, large trunk, and more than competent road holding, it was perfect as a continent-crosser for the Biedermeier Bentley wannabe. This example is one of the few built with right-hand drive, which obviously enhances its value in the U.K. (and renders it almost sale-proof anywhere else).
The 1959 Borgward Isabella TS Coupe sold by Bonhams appears in the SCM Gold Database from a previous auction outing, H&H’s sale at Derbyshire in the U.K. in February 2003 (SCM# 30451). At that time it failed to sell at a high bid of $14,310. Described as a #2-, it had new paint, which showed some issues, excellent chrome, and a very good interior. The vendor sought $24,000, which seemed unobtainable at the time.
Three years later, slightly more was realized, probably more indicative of the strength of the overall market and the rough nature of many of the other offerings at the sale, than of a dramatic increase in Borgward values. Mid-teens to $20,000 seems to be the price these bring in very good condition. Adding the premium for right-hand drive in that market, the price doesn’t seem outrageous.
Borgwards should probably be worth more given their advanced specifications and racing history, but that can be said for many other obscure and underpriced cars with a small, but enthusiastic following-most of which I own or have owned.