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Borgward Isabella Coupé - agile elegance

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Created on September 30, 2018

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

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Bruno von Rotz

43

Archiv

9

Bruno von Rotz

43

Archiv

9

Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - stole the show from many a more expensive competitor at the time

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - agile elegance

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - often bought in two-color combinations, here as a single-color version

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - the light blue paintwork suits the coupé well

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - generous window areas

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - curves wherever you look

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - was also available with higher tail fins for an extra charge

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - offered a lot of overtaking prestige back then

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - immediately recognizable as a Borgward with the rhombus on the radiator grille

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - ran 155.5 km/h at the time

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - fast on the road, economical in consumption

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - at 4.4 meters long and 1.7 meters wide, it was already an impressive car at the time

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - always the center of attention

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - one of the princesses of the country road

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - the 75 hp engine allowed high average speeds

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - the rear swing axle was considered modern at the time

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - tidy cockpit

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - friendly interior

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - practice-oriented design of the interior

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - shifting gears with the lever on the right of the steering wheel

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - petrol clock as standard, not a matter of course at the time

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - made a big impression back then - speedometer up to 180 km/h

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - Water temperature display and indicator light

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - Timepiece from Moto Meter

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - clearly labeled keyboard piano

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - artistic coat of arms in the center of the steering wheel

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - Gear lever

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - red seats

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - longitudinally mounted four-cylinder engine

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - the camshaft was arranged laterally and driven by gears

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - the engine is fitted with a downdraft carburetor from Solex

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - Rhombus also on the engine

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - how they wired back then

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - Chassis badge

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - the type designation was also in the rhombus on the radiator grille

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - the rhombus was emblazoned on all Isabellas

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - the "radiator mascot" looks like a streamlined railroad train

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - Company founder Carl F. W. Borgward liked to see his name on his cars

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - there was also a rhombus on the wheel cover

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - filigree rear lights

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - clearly labeled

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1960) - Rhombus on the rear

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Borgward Hansa 1800 (1954) - from the German pioneer of the pontoon shape, now with fully synchronized four-speed transmission - Geneva Motor Show 1954

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Borgward Isabella TS (1956) - lively and well-built

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Borgward Isabella TS (1958) - Dashboard and interior

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Borgward Isabella (1959) - under a fallen beech tree

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Borgward Isabella Coupé (1957) - called "Isabellissima" - Geneva Motor Show 1957

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Borgward Isabella Cabriolet (1957) - International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt 1957 - Side, left-front

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Borgward Isabella TS (1959) - in advertising - safety is included

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Borgward Isabella (1956) - in the advertisement - Elegance

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Borgward Isabella (1960) - in advertising - dignified, reliable, stable in value

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Summary

To this day, the car brand "Borgward" has a special ring to it. Progressive and above all elegant cars were produced in Bremen, desirable and reasonably affordable. Although the Isabella Coupé was one of the more expensive products from Bremen, it was still cheaper to buy than a similarly powerful Mercedes-Benz 190 SL or a Porsche 356. And for many people at the time, it was much prettier to look at. This driving report describes the history of the pretty coupé and shows it in contemporary and historical pictures.

This article contains the following chapters

First the sedan
Touring Sport
The Brigitte Bardot of coupés
A lot of manual work
Enthusiastic testers
Early end
Still desirable today
Further information

Estimated reading time: 8min

Preview (beginning of the article)

To this day, the car brand "Borgward" has a special ring to it. Progressive and above all elegant cars were produced in Bremen, desirable and reasonably affordable. The end came far too soon. It was the summer of 1954 when Borgward presented the successor to the Hansa 1800. The new two-door saloon, soon to be called the "Isabella", had hardly anything in common with its predecessor; it was a completely new design. Attractively priced, the 60 hp 1.5 liter sedan with its self-supporting body, which Carl F. W. Borgward, the company owner, had designed himself, won over the trade press and buyers.

Welcome to Zwischengas!

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