© borgward group AG
Historic vehicles have a special appeal for many people. One of the reasons for this is that the designers at the time attached great importance to the particularly beautiful shapes of the bodywork. Each manufacturer had its own style. In addition, all vehicles of past days had special features. In the past, designers didn’t have to worry about fuel consumption or exhaust emissions. Which German vehicle of past years was particularly interesting and beautiful, you will learn below.
Contents
Borgward isabella with hydraulic clutch
The adenauer mercedes the top-of-the-range model
Porsche 911 "neunelfer", an impressive sports car
Opel captain, legendary and impressive
The isetta with many special features
VW beetle – probably the most famous oldtimer
NSU ro 80 – dogged by bad luck
Opel manta – sporty ambition
NSU prinz with unmistakable body shape
Goggomobil with two-stroke engine
Borgward isabella with hydraulic clutch
the isabella mid-size car has been built by the bremen carmaker since 1954. The naming was rather coincidental. When the first prototype was completed and was to be tested, journalists asked for the type designation. The designer carl F. W. Borgward said he didn’t care about the name at all. The reporters could call the car isabella or whatever they want to call it. The name was already clear.
© borgward group AG
the borgward isabella was one of the first cars with a self-supporting body. The drive was provided by a gasoline engine with a displacement of 1.5 liters. The power was 60 hp. in the TS version this model had an engine power of 75 hp. For the time the engine power was already considerable. the special features of the borgward isabella were the hydraulically operated clutch and the fully synchronized four-speed gearbox with steering wheel gearshift.
The selling price of 7265 DM was quite high at that time. Therefore the borgward isabella was rather bought by the middle class. Workers with an average income at that time could not afford such a vehicle.
Special data:
year of manufacture 1954 to 1961
available as sedan, station wagon, cabrio, coupe and pick-up
1.5-liter engine with 60 to 75 hp
The adenauer mercedes the upper class model
The oldest german vehicle manufacturer is mercedes. Therefore, there are also a large number of special historic cars from this manufacturer. Best known and most popular might be the adenauer mercedes. But how did it get its name? It is actually an upper class model of the series 300. The first year of this car is 1951. There are two important features of this car.
© mercedes-benz classic
It is powered by a 3.0-liter otto engine and produces 115 hp. This made it the most powerful series-produced vehicle available in germany at the time. Not even the cars of sports car manufacturer porsche were stronger. The second special feature is that the first Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Konrad Adenauer, chose this vehicle as his official car. Thus it received without further ado the designation adenauer mercedes. This designation is still common today.
special data:
year of manufacture 1951 to 1957
length about 5,0 meter and width 1,84 meter
weight just under two tons
Porsche 911 "neunelfer", an impressive sports car
When it comes to classic cars in germany, the porsche 911, colloquially known as the neunelfer, is of course a must. Since 1963 this model was built. It was already at that time an impressive sports car, which had some special features.
Special data:
six-cylinder boxer engine
overhead camshafts
modern chassis with triangular control arms
© porsche factory photo
The first-generation boxer engine had a displacement of 2.0 liters. The power was 130 hp. But during the first years of production the manufacturer continuously increased the engine power. In 1972, the 911, with a top speed of 230 km/h, was the fastest car produced in series. However, the fuel consumption was 17 liters per 100 kilometers. Since the porsche 911 was produced over many years, there is also a wide range of oldtimers of different years available. These special sports cars from germany are not missing at any classic car meeting.
Opel captain, legendary and impressive
Numerous legendary models were produced by this car manufacturer. The opel kapitan is particularly impressive. This was produced in several variants from 1939 to 1972. Models from the first year are now rare to find. From the post-war years, however, numerous oldtimers of this type are still available. There are some versions that are particularly sought-after by enthusiasts. This also includes the versions with the rounded body shapes. In the sixties, as it was common for almost all cars at that time, the body shapes became more and more angular.
© opel automobile gmbh
The models of the fifties were particularly striking. Equipped with lots of chrome and modern-design seat upholstery, the kapitan was considered a status symbol at the time. With an engine output of 58 hp, the vehicle was already a powerful car. The long hood and the distinctive whitewall tires made quite a statement. In the fifties, the kapitan occupied third place in the registration statistics. This is already the great popularity to recognize. In the time but also only well-heeled interested parties could afford such a vehicle. For the lower classes of the population the kapitan was unaffordable, but a dream car. In the present time there is a very large fan community of these special oldtimer from germany.
Since production stretched over several decades, vehicles of this type are available from many years of manufacture. Spare parts are also available from almost every year of manufacture.
Special data:
year of construction 1938 to 1970
six-cylinder engines with 2.5 liters displacement
maximum speed up to 150 km/h
The isetta with many special features
A special oldtimer is the isetta. Actually this model was only meant as a transitional solution. After the second world war was over, BMW resumed the production of cars. But in the program were only luxury cars with six-cylinder engines. This was already offered at prices that did not even correspond to the production costs. Nevertheless, there was no great demand, because there were hardly any interested parties at that time, who could afford a price of 15.000 DM could be raised. This plunged BMW into a serious crisis. Since there was no time to develop a new compact model, BMW produced the isetta as a licensed model
A BMW motorcycle engine with a displacement of 250 cubic centimeters was installed to power the car. This reached a power of 12 hp. The big advantage was that this small car could also be driven by riders who had a motorcycle license for two-wheelers up to 250 cubic centimeters. At that time, such driver’s licenses were much more widespread than car driver’s licenses. Therefore, this vehicle also found a brisk sale. But this oldtimer has a few more special features. This also includes the door, which is located at the front. When opening the car, the steering wheel and the dashboard are swivelled as well.
Another special feature is the narrow rear axle. The two rear wheels are so close together that a differential is unnecessary. the isetta was also one of the few smallest cars of its time that was equipped with a reverse gear.
Special data:
year of construction 1955 to 1962
compact dimensions with a length of 2.28 meters and a width of 1.38 meters
low weight of 350 kilograms
VW beetle – probably the most famous classic car
A German car that achieved worldwide fame was the VW Beetle. The first vehicles of this type are from the year 1938. The beetle was developed by porsche at the time on government orders. The government’s goal at the time was to build a car that every working class person could afford. But shortly after the first beetles were produced, the second world war began. Therefore, the actual production of this successful model started only in the post-war years. Since the first examples were still equipped with a split rear window, they were also called pretzel beetles.
© volkswagen aktiengesellschaft
The air-cooled boxer engine in the rear is one of the special features of these oldtimers. This one has a distinctive sound. The first models achieved outputs of 25 hp. A little later the power was increased to 30 hp. The VW beetle was produced for many decades. The engine power increased again and again and the equipment improved. This vehicle has become a real cult vehicle. That is why it is also the best-selling vehicle model ever made. Oldtimers of this model exist from several decades with different designs.
Special data:
year of construction from 1938 to 2003
power from 25 to 54 hp
numerous special models
NSU ro 80 – pursued by the bad luck
In 1967, the well-known manufacturer NSU produced a completely newly developed vehicle with several special features. Firstly, the distinctive shape, which at the time was completely different from most vehicles from other manufacturers. The body had a certain arrow shape. By the way, this body shape served as inspiration for the models of audi. from 1969 the NSU motorenwerke AG belonged to audi.
© audi mediacenter, audi AG
another special feature of this model was the wankel engine. This engine is actually called a rotary piston engine. Hence the name ro 80. A Wankel engine is more efficient than a normal engine with a reciprocating piston. Therefore, it was also possible that the engine with a capacity of 1.0 liters achieved an output of 115 hp. However, the ro 80 had problems with the engine right from the start. A major problem was that some materials in the engine did not fit together. Therefore, serious engine damage occurred again and again. These were repaired on the basis of the warranty. in the replaced engines the problems did not occur anymore, but the cars had lost their bad reputation. But as a classic car the ro 80 is very sought after.
Special data:
hydraulically operated brakes with brake booster and brake force regulator
modern front-wheel drive
maximum speed 180 km/h
Opel manta – sporty and ambitious
the manufacturer not only brought out the legendary kapitan. From the year 1970 the famous opel manta was available. With this sporty, ambitious vehicle model, this car manufacturer set new standards. The manta was offered with different engines. Therefore models with power between 68 and 90 hp were available. This modern coupe was produced until 1988. The manta was equipped with a rear wheel drive until the end. Numerous other vehicle manufacturers were already using front-wheel drive during this period.
© opel automobile gmbh
The special features of the manta include the sporty appearance and the unregulated catalytic converter, which was standard equipment in the last years of construction. In addition, the vehicles were equipped with five-speed transmissions at a very early stage. The oldtimers of this model are especially popular, because the opel manta became a cult car through some movies.
Special data:
wide power range from 55 to 110 hp
most powerful version from 0 to 100 km/h in 10.5 seconds
fuel consumption for all variants at around 8.5 liters per 100 kilometers
NSU prinz with distinctive body shape
An interesting german car is the NSU prinz. This was produced in the period from 1958 to 1973. There were a total of four generations of this small car. One of the most impressive features of this car is the parallel-twin engine. This is a very unusual gasoline engine. This is a two-cylinder engine in which the two pistons do not move in opposite directions. They move up and down at the same time. Also this technical innovation makes the oldtimer of the NSU prinz so popular. Oldtimerfans love anyway all technical characteristics of the vehicles of past years.
© audi mediacenter, audi AG
The NSU prinz was a small car, but one that was certainly suitable for families. It offered seating for five and had a respectable trunk at the front. the engine with a displacement of 600 cubic centimeters produced 30 hp. This power was sufficient to accelerate the vehicle, which weighed only 570 kilograms, to a maximum speed of 116 km/h.
interesting details:
many special models with more powerful engines
unmistakable body shape
also available as sporty variants TT and TTS
Goggomobil with two-stroke engine
In the 1950s, many people wanted to switch from motorcycles to cars. Therefore, the then manufacturer of agricultural machinery glass developed a small car called goggomobil, which was also known simply as goggo. It is a german vehicle with a two-stroke engine. one of the biggest advantages was that this small car could be driven with a class four motorcycle license. Therefore, the change from a motorcycle to a sedan or a coupe was made much easier.
Interesting technical data:
two-cylinder, two-stroke engine with 250 to 400 cc displacement
power from 13,6 to 18,5 hp
maximum speed 80 to 95 km/h
More pictures of beautiful cars
© opel automobile gmbh
© porsche factory photo
© mercedes-benz classic
© volkswagen aktiengesellschaft
© audi mediacenter, audi AG
© porsche factory photo
© opel automobile gmbh
© audi mediacenter, audi AG
© mercedes-benz classic
Editors: walter braun
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Publisher: tipps-vom-experten
walter braun, kirchenstrabe 79, 81675 munich, germany,
tel. (089) 45079725, fax (089) 45079775, [email protected]
reproduction – also in extracts – only with written permission of the publisher. This tip has been carefully compiled. however, all information is provided without warranty. Neither the editors nor the publisher can accept any liability for any disadvantages or damage resulting from the practical instructions given here