CarBrandLogos archive · Borgward · 1951
A brave, expensive attempt to sell German buyers a big car they did not want.
Discover the storyPhoto: Spurzem - Lothar Spurzem · CC BY-SA 2.0 de
The story
Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Borgward Hansa 2400, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.
01
Carl Borgward wanted to sell an executive car against Mercedes-Benz, and the Hansa 2400 was the attempt. Launched for 1952 with a 2337 cc straight-six, rear-wheel drive and a four-speed all-synchromesh gearbox with an automatic optional, it was technically ambitious for a firm of Borgward's size and priced accordingly.
Borgward 2400, Bj. 58 · Spurzem · CC BY-SA 2.0 de
02
The trouble was the shape. The original four-door fastback saloon looked heavy and unresolved, and in a market where a big car was a statement of arrival, buyers preferred the conservative three-box Mercedes. A longer notchback limousine version was introduced in 1953 to address exactly that objection, but the damage was done. Just 1,032 cars were built across the whole 1952 to 1959 run — a rounding error against the rival it was aimed at.
02 Borgward Hansa 2400 · Spurzem · CC BY-SA 2.0 de
03
It was replaced by the P100, another six-cylinder flagship, and by then the losses from projects like this were part of what left the group vulnerable when its finances came under scrutiny.
Borgward Hansa 2400 II · Lothar Spurzem · CC BY-SA 2.0 de
At a glance
Produced
1952–1959Units built
1,032Engine
2337 Body
4-door fastback saloonTechnical specification
Badge at launch
This is the marque emblem that accompanied the Hansa 2400's era. The full identity timeline is documented in the brand archive.
Explore the logo history →From the journal
Lineage
Contemporaries from the 1950s
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