Borgward Hansa 2400
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| Borgward Hansa 2400 | |
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| Manufacturer | Carl F. W. Borgward GmbH |
| Production | 1953 - 1959 1,032 built |
| Successor | Borgward P100 |
| Body style(s) | 4 door fastback saloon (1952 – 1955) 4 door notchback limousine (1953 – 1959) |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Engine(s) | 2337 cc straight-4 |
| Transmission(s) | 4 speed all-synchromesh manual automatic optional |
| Wheelbase | 2620 mm (103.1 in) (fastback) 2820 mm (111 in) (notchback) |
| Length | 4460 mm (175.6 in) (fastback) 4660 mm (183.5 in) (notchback) 4760 mm (187.4 in) from 1955 |
| Width | 1780 mm (70.1 in) |
| Height | 1490 mm (58.7 in) (loaded) |
| Fuel capacity | 50 L (13.2 US gal/11.0 imp gal) |
The Borgward Hansa 2400 is large a six cylinder saloon first presented in 1952 and manufactured by the Bremen based auto-manufacturer Carl F. W. Borgward GmbH between 1953 and 1959. The car was launched as a fast back sedan: a longer wheel base notchback version appeared a year later. The Hansa 2400 seems, at least in its early years, to have suffered from a reputation for inadequate brakes and other perceived quality defects: in a market segment that was closely contested but small, the large Borgwards lost out to less flamboyant models from the German south.
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[edit] Chronology and design
The Hansa 2400 commenced production in 1953 as a large fastback sedan, its profile reminiscent of the recently introduced Hudson Super Wasp. It had presence. Unusually even at this time, all four doors were forward opening which presumably facilitated access and egress. The body was an all steel integral structure, as on the car's four cylinder sibling.
Sales material placed emphasis on the car's luxury features, such as a heating and ventilation system that ducted air direct to rear passengers as well as to the front, with each system separately adjustable. Items such as the cigarette lighter, the self parking windscreen wipers and the side windows that wound down fully into the doors barely merited a mention. The spare wheel was stowed flat in a compartment beneath the boot / trunk. It was accessible through a hatch behind a section of the rear bumper / fender, so that a wheel change could be undertaken without the need to empty out the luggage.
[edit] New Shape
A year later a longer wheel base notchback version appeared: options included a partition to enable the car to be used for traditional chauffer operations.
In 1955 production of the fastback sedan ceased. The long wheel base car underwent a minor facelift which involved more prominent headlamp surrounds: it soldiered on in this form until 1959.
[edit] Power
It is possible that the car had originally been intended for sale with the four cylinder 1758 cc engine[1] that instead found its way into an uprated version of the Hansa 1500. In the event, the larger car was launched with a six cylinder engine of 2337 cc for which a power output of 82 bhp was claimed along with a top speed of 150 km/h (93 mph). The 1955 package of improvements included engine modifications that increased the advertised output to 100 bhp.
Power was delivered to the rear wheels via a four speed manual gearbox with synchromesh on all ratios. An automatic gear change option was also advertised[2], making the car, according to some sources, the first German car to be offered with automatic transmission.
[edit] Sources and further reading
This entry is based on information from the German Wikipedia Borgward article.
- ^ a b Gloor, Roger (1. Auflage 2007). Alle Autos der 50er Jahre 1945 - 1960. Stuttgart: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 978-3-613-02808-1.
- ^ Borgward GbmH, Carl (ca. 1954). Sales Brochure for the Borgward Hansa 2400. Bremen: Bogward.
