The big Borgward - comfort for the gentleman driver

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The big Borgward - comfort for the gentleman driver

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Created on January 20, 2012

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Balz Schreier

17

Bruno von Rotz

17

Archiv / Peter Kurze, Bremen

10

Archiv

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - the two panoramic windows characterize the shape

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - the Borgward P 100 is around 4.7 meters long

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - the dream of high-earning business travelers at the end of the fifties

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - the length alone made it a great Borgward

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - the big family can come, the Borgward accommodates up to six people

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - Front with the Borgward-Rombus

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - Train access through four doors

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - Borgward spoke of the 'new European line', but American influences cannot be ignored

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - independently designed front

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - ornate rear light units

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - Radiator grille and Borgward lettering

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - Borgward lettering on the hood

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - Borgward lettering on the flank

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - Rear lamps_DSC2851

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - boldly combining curves and corners

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - practical bearing edges

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - everything under control

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - Steering wheels had to shine back then

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - air from above thanks to the sliding roof

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - good all-round view thanks to panoramic windshield

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - View over the large hood

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - Functional interior

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - chrome and shine inside too

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - Borgward emblem in the center of the steering wheel_DSC2837

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - the original radio

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - beautifully designed switches, modern pictograms

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - homely looking seats

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - you can also be chauffeured around

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Hansa 2400 (1952) - the car launched on the market with various teething troubles was not successful - illustration from the sales brochure

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Borgward P 100 (1959) - the big Borgward with 2.3-liter engine at the IAA 1959

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Borgward P 100 (1959) - Premiere was at the IAA 1959, the new European line of the P 100 - the early model can be recognized by the lack of trim strips below the window line

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Borgward P 100 (1960) - the six-cylinder saloon is advertised as a touring car

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Borgward P 100 (1960) - pre-series model photographed in front of the Thai-Sala Siamese temple in Bad Homburg in the spa gardens

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Borgward P 100 (1960) - the six-cylinder engine

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Borgward P 100 (1960) - Transparent drawing shows how the suspension works

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Borgward P 100 (1960) - Transparent drawing

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Borgward P 100 (1960) - Front section of the production model with trim strips below the window line

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Borgward P 100 (1960) - early factory photo of the six-cylinder saloon

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Borgward P 100 (1960) - a large boot for all occasions

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Borgward P 100 (1960) - in an unusual choice of colors - from the sales brochure

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Borgward P 100 (1960) - prestigious touring sedan with 2.3 liter displacement and 160 kmh top speed

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Borgward P 100 (1960) - simple lines, but implied tail fins were a must

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Borgward P 100 (1960) - Sketch of the air suspension design

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Borgward P 100 (1960) - some people would have liked to travel like this in 1960 - pre-production model without trim strips below the window line

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Borgward P 100 (1960) - parked as befits its status

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - Evening mood in the press kit

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - for people of the world - Illustration from the sales brochure

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - View of the interior

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - Functionality of the air suspension explained by means of a transparent drawing

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - View through the engine - Transparent drawing

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - View through the engine from the front

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - elegance of the late fifties

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - Portrait of a test car

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - Company owner Carl F. W. Borgward leans proudly against his luxury sedan

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Carl F. W. Borgward - a car manufacturer with vision

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Borgward P 100 (1962) - with its spiritual father Carl F W Borgward

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - a good introduction to the comfortable sedan

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - View into the large trunk

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - rear seat area of a test car

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Borgward P 100 (1962) - dismantled doors on this demonstration vehicle - six seats

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Borgward P 100 (1962) - How the rear suspension works

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Borgward P 100 (1962) - befitting its status in front of the Parkhotel

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - Driver's working environment

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - Dashboard of the endurance test car

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - front view of the test car

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - stretched silhouette of the endurance test car

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - Rear view of the endurance test car

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - View into the trunk of the long-distance test car

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Borgward 230 GL (1965) - the direct descendant, which was produced in Mexico, but was not successful either

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Borgward 230 (1965) - the cheapest model from Mexico had to make do without fins

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Borgward P 100 (1961) - rund 4,7 Meter lang ist der Borgward P 100

Borgward P 100 (1961) - der Traum der gut verdienenden Geschäftsreisenden Ende der Fünfzigerjahre

Borgward P 100 (1961) - die Länge alleine machte ihn schon zum grossen Borgward

Borgward P 100 (1961) - die grosse Familie kann kommen, bis zu sechs Personen nimmt der Borgward auf

Summary

With the Borgward P 100, also known as the 2.3 liter, Airswing or 'big Borgward', Carl F. W. Borgward achieved a technical masterpiece. The P 100 was the first passenger car to be available with air suspension. Thanks to proven technology and generous interior dimensions, as well as an attractive body, the big Borgward had everything it needed to be successful against the established luxury car class. However, the bankruptcy of Borgward in 1961 put an end to all dreams. This report describes the history and technology of this automotive milestone and is supplemented by original brochures, press releases and many current and historical pictures.

This article contains the following chapters

Unloved ancestor Hansa 2400
Entry into the luxury class
The famous air suspension
What should it be called?
Choice of technology with rationalization in mind
Equipment for the spoiled
Enthusiasm from the trade press
Compact chauffeur-driven sedan?
An early end, or not?
Cheap to buy, expensive to restore
Further information

Estimated reading time: 8min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Business was going well for engineer Müller in 1960, so it was time to look for a new car. It had to be innovative, elegant, comfortable and convenient, and also have a good price/performance ratio. With these criteria, a Ponton-Mercedes was too staid, a BMW 502 too expensive, an Opel Kapitän too conservative. But it was the "big Borgward" that appealed to Mr. Müller. He was enthusiastic about the "new line" and the almost sports car-like handling. He could not have foreseen that the manufacturer would close its doors just a few months after the purchase. The Borgward P 100 was not the first 'big' car that Carl F. W. Borgward brought onto the market. As early as 1952, he presented the Hansa 2400, which was not enthusiastically received by customers with its hatchback body and fault-prone self-developed automatic transmission.

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Images of this article

Borgward P 100 (1961) - rund 4,7 Meter lang ist der Borgward P 100

Borgward P 100 (1961) - der Traum der gut verdienenden Geschäftsreisenden Ende der Fünfzigerjahre

Borgward P 100 (1961) - die Länge alleine machte ihn schon zum grossen Borgward

Borgward P 100 (1961) - die grosse Familie kann kommen, bis zu sechs Personen nimmt der Borgward auf

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