(It looks like the seller recognized the error in the listing name and has now changed it from “Bogart” to Borgward – JO)
You know, when you’re trying to sell something, it helps if you know what in the Sam Hill it is that you’re trying to sell. Today, I have a 1960 Borgward Isabella for your review but the Seller refers to it as a “Bogart” Isabella. This swell sedan is located in L.A. and maybe that’s the source of the name confusion. And if it were a Bogart, I’d be inclined to call it a “Bogart Gable” but now I’m really digressing… Anyway, let’s take an objective look at this Borgward Isabella and learn a bit about it. It’s available, here on craigslist for $3,000. Thanks to T.J. for this rare find!
Prior to June of 2020, I wouldn’t have known a Borgward from a Bogart but here’s the post for a 1957 Isabella that alerted me to this unusual marque’s existence. I don’t want to rehash the history but please review my old post if you are interested in knowing more about this seldomly encountered brand. The most surprising statement in the listing is, “I purchased this vehicle approximately 15 months ago from Beverly Hills car club for $3000 to be restored by me completely however due to health reasons I am not able to do anything to it…” Barn Finds is no stranger to Beverly Hils Car Club but this doesn’t seem like a typical BHCC sale item.
Attempting a restoration on such an animal, at first blush, seems like a heck of an undertaking. Admittedly, the body appears to be pretty sound and there’s no evidence of heavy deterioration or crash damage. It’s little things like mangled or missing trim, no-show taillights, etc. that can send you down a rabbit hole in an endless search. Some of the trim around the grille is pretty dented but I know there are ways to straighten and buff convex pieces that will make them look like new. All-in-all, this Isabella is pretty complete.
I’m giving out demerits today and this Borgward is gonna’ get a big one for no engine image. That being the case, I’m going to cheat and boost the image from the ’57 that I wrote up in 2020. It’s an 82 HP, 1.5 liter, in-line four-cylinder engine that in this case, actually runs! The seller doesn’t elaborate as to how well it runs but I guess it moves the car, enough, at least, to get it onto a flatbed trailer. The odometer claims 71K miles but whether that’s accurate and what the engine has actually experienced is unknown. A four-speed manual transmission shifted on the column, appears to have been the sole Borgward gearbox available. The listing claims an automatic but then later corrects itself.
The interior will need help and the listing states as much. Upholstery, door cards, floor covering, dash refinishing, and probably a headliner will be in order. As long as you have the seat frames, the rest can be accomplished by a competent upholstery/trim guy or gal. It becomes a problem however if there are damaged/missing gauges or switchgear. That steering wheel is looking a little shaky too.
The seller throws out a supposition of, “once this car is completely restored my estimation is between $30-40k value“. That seems more like a dartboard valuation and it’s tough to think that someone would undertake such a project for upside valuation. No, a Borgward Isabella is a car that you own and/or restore because of what it is, wouldn’t you agree?
Front bears a strong resemblance to Columbo’s Peugeot. I have fond memories of crawling around a local junkyard and seeing one or two of these, the name “Isabella” tends to stand out in a wrecking yard. Even though few were sold in the US, I’m wondering if parts might be more readily available in Europe?
The U.S. were the biggest export market for Borgward; quite a lot have been exported to Scandinavia, too. Do n o t expect a decent spare – parts availability in Europe – there is hardly anything. Borgward is a car for mostly old fogeys ( like me ) who saw them in every – day – traffic and ” organized ” spares when they were still available. Starting at ” zero ” could very soon result in frustration….This Isabella would be no problem for me at all – would not have to buy anything. It is worth more than a thought ( but I already got a lot of Borgward – cars…)
Now he’s spelled it “Borgwart”… and name’s clearly in the fender. Sheesh.
Looks solid enough to restore, but trim and tail lights won’t be easy to source.
Site is sketchy and feels like 1999, but here’s the US club link with parts, etc:
https://calborg.tripod.com/master.html
Well he DID buy it from the BHCC.
Would be hard to do a restoration trying to find parts for a Borgwart.
Yeah… “Borgwart” at present. However, I sense he will be correcting this in the very near future.
Hey… that was quick. Now if he really wants to sell this bucket, he would simply drop three zeros; one from his asking price, and two from his estimated value upon restoration.
“Don’t Bogart that Borgward, my friend” as the old song lyric sez… For the $3Gs asked for, a little scrubbing and polish would help a cars ‘n coffee trip every once in awhile, if the car actually does run as stated, Some GI probably brought this home from a European posting – I don’t recall too many local Borgward dealers – even in L.A., but that club link could be a great resource.
Damn, you beat me to it. I was gonna say “Don’t Borgward that joint, my friend…”
..Pass it over to me . .
Borgward was an ambitious attempt to do what BMW managed to do, failing because of lack of financial muscle. And possibly the stylist’s pen coild have been sharper.
The product was good, a well-built midsize driver’s car which raced competitively. Borgward had sports prototypes which went toe-to-toe with Porsche in Carrera Panamericana. Not bad!
Never will this be a $30000 car! But not a bad one.
All true… although it was financial issues (not unlike BMW’s) more than styling that hurt them. The pretty Isabella coupe can bring upwards of $50K+/-, and IMHO the seller has fairly estimated the top price for a standard sedan. Regardless, without DIY skills a proper resto won’t make financial sense to most people.
BTW, after the company was dissolved, the factory went to Mercedes, and the engineers responsible for Borgward’s capable little inline 4 were hired by a restructured BMW. “Neue Klasse” development got some fresh help.
Borgward was an automotive giant in his day. He started out in the early 1920´s and built his company into a formidable competitor to Mercedes, who conspired together with Deutsche Bank to drive him into bankruptcy. They built everything from 3-wheeled delivery vans (Goliath), to heavy duty trucks, military half tracks and a gorgeous competitor to the Mercedes Benz 300 presidential limousine way back in the early 1950´s.
This pickup is in South Africa although I don’t know if it’s a factory original or a conversion, but still a nice vehicle. I owned two Isabella’s and both were unbelievable cars. Very comfortable, stable, economical and beautifully engineered. The red and white car parked next to the pickup is an Isabella Coupe.
Hi Solosolo,
this a original Isabella Pick-up! This cars were only for export produced, so you couldn`t buy one in Germany. I don´t know in which countrys it was exported. But South Africa was one of the more important of them. About 20 years ago I was talking with friends from a friend I was visiting in London. One guy from south africa told me that his grandpa had one of these Isabella Pick-ups and I couldn´t belive that this should be a original car and not a conversion. Later I found a Picture in my books, and again, this is a original one…
Till J.
Gerard,
You are basically correct. Mercedes-Benz wanted the factory, and arranged to buy it cheap once the company was closed down. But there is also another situation that today would not be allowed. The man appointed to handle the receivership, a Herr Semler, had invested a lot of money in BMW! At the time BMW was a car company that would benefit from Borgward’s demise, and it was a worry that BMW would not survive if the company had to contend with the Borgward/Hansa/Lloyd cars & trucks. By the time the company was closed, all the assets sold off, and creditors paid in full, there was still a very large surplus of DMarks left in the bank.
The man appointed by the court to liquidate Borgward said 5 years later that the company could easily have been saved via restructuring. There was a lot of really dirty pool being played there. Carl Borgward died heart broken a few years after he had been robbed.
Gerard,
In researching the Borgward – Mercedes – BMW fiasco, I came to the conclusion that Herbert & Johana Quant, the majority stockholders of BMW, were likely complicit with destroying Borgward, fearful that if they did not act, BMW would likely fail. I suspect they used Semler to convince the banks and regulators that Borgward could not be saved and had to be dissolved. This was at a time when BMW was preparing to go upscale with their “Neue Klasse” modern 4-cylinder cars, and would be in direct competition with Borgward.
Do some research into the Quandt family and one finds collaboration with high National Socialists members and the German military, and it’s no coincidence they are the wealthiest family in Europe.
I love BMW cars & have owned several, from a pre-war 326 cabrio & a Baroque Angel 3200 sedan, to an 1800 sedan & 1973 2002 I bought new. But had I known about the Quandts 40 years earlier, perhaps I never would have owned those great cars.
Ahoi Bill,
some strange german car-history on barnfinds. Intressting! Well, there is another item. The german carproducer Glas also closed. They produced not only scooters and the Gogomobil. They were in the very small town Dingolfing near Munich. If you don`t know what I am talking about, then have a look on google maps.
By the way, in this town is still my school for coachbuilding. But learning this job is 25 years ago.
Best regards,
Till J.
Till J,
Yes, I am familiar with the Glas and I have been to Dingolfing when visiting Bavaria a couple of times in the mid 1970s, when I was living in Heidelberg with the US Army.
While living there, I bought a very late 1967 BMW-Glas 2600 coupe with silver-blue color, I paid only 500DM because in 1975 German car buyers didn’t want a 2600 Glas coupe. The first reason was because in the 1970s Most Germans looking for a more upscale car wanted a NEW car and they did not want an “Orphan” automobile.
The second reason was because it was an 8 cylinder motor with 2.6 liter size, so the taxes were high. As a US soldier, I didn’t have to pay the German taxes. I only had the Glas for a couple of months before I sold it to another US soldier for 900DM. He like the car’s look and performance, and didn’t want a VW. Other cars like the Opel were more money.
Bill,
you know Dingolfing and you had a Glas 2600 coupe. Wow! This Glas was called “the Glaserati”, what comes from Glas and Maserati. But you know that, I think. Perhaps you also know the small town Deggendorf. It`s near Dingolfing beetween the river Danube and the Bavarian Forests. This is the town where I was born. Now I live not so far from Grafenwöhr, because I was there a teacher for metalltechnics. But this was in this small town and not on the US-Military base.
Best regards
Till J.
Sadly, it’s been too long since I was there in the region, and I don’t recognize the town’s name. I do know the name Grafenwohr because of the US military presence there. The Glas was a fun car, but shortly after I bought it I found a 1962 Ferrari 250 GT 2+2 and I bought it. Had to sell one of my cars because I was only permitted 2 vehicles on the base, the other one was the 1956 Chrysler Imperial sedan, hand assembled by Facel for the Paris Auto Show, and I wanted to bring that one back to America. So the Glas had to be sold.
Bill,
you did the right choice. Or, it was a sad thing that you were only for two cars permittet. Of course the Glas also became a real collector car, but compared to the Ferrari it`s still a cheap, and also realy rare, fun. Well, your cars are not my finanzial level. But this doesn`t matter for me. My all day car is just a Saab station wagon and I bought this car when Saab didn`t existed anymore and they were extremly cheap. Well, for a all day car I am satisfied. By the way, I like your point of view in car history. You owne – or owned, doesn`t matter – such cars and visit regulary something like barnfinds. I really belive that looking for strange, rare, historyical interessting classic cars is part from your hobby. Well, it`s part from me, but of course I look most of the time in Europe. And you can still find rare worth collecting cars in the middle of knowhere. One more question. What means hand assembeled by Facel? Was it a protype for an Facel Vega Excellence? Didn`t found it in the books “Facel Vega – Grand Tourisme” or “Facel Vega – A Brooklands Road Test book”.
Well, before I wrote this message I joined in the daily barnfinds message. Just for information, perhaps you have intresse what I am looking for today in europe.
Best regards,
Till J.
Till,
The Chrysler Imperial had several French data plates on the firewall; a large one from “france motors, Paris”, and a smaller one that said “Assemblé par Facel Metallon”. I have never been able to discover anything about this car, it had a different interior, the dash facia was 3-tone gray color, the seats had small silk embroidered eagles on them, and the floor flat sections were covered in a heavy gray rubber mat, while the center transmission and drive shaft humps were covered with mouton sheep.The headlights were Marchal, as was the fuse box. Years ago I was able to find a French newspaper report on the ’56 Paris auto show, and it mentioned there was a [basic translation] “Gigantic 4-door Imperial in black”. I have never found a photo of the ’56 Chrysler stand, but I am still looking.
The Imperial was in a large storage building with other vintage cars when the building was struck by lightning in May 1995. Nothing could be saved.
As I could only bring back 1 vehicle, I sold the Ferrari to a Captain in the US Army in Mannheim, and I returned back to the US in September 1975. I bought the Ferrari for $1,200, and thought I was making a great deal in selling it for $1,800! Of course today it would be worth over $150k. In 1975 I [and other Ferrari people I knew at the time] said it was a 4-person Ferrari, and would never be worth what 1 or 2 person Ferrari cars would be worth.
LS conversion with a Tremec 5sp, mini tubs yeah buddy
An LS would be cool but I think I’d like to find one of GM’s Ecotech 2.2 turbo’s that GM Performance had available back around 2013 – 2015 or so. Put a 5 or 6 speed behind that and you could have a lot of fun, too.
The Borgward Isabella Coupé is the one to pine for, not this saloon.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Borgward_Isabella_Coupé-_6280063.jpg
If you have ever owned a Borgward then you will know that either the Coupe or the sedan are something to pine for. I have owned two sedans and am still pining for a coupe, not that it will ever happen.
I’ve mentioned this before, but bears repeating. When I was kid( early 60’s) our family doctor, Dr. Zubatsky, had a Borgward like this for making his house calls,,,remember “house calls”? We thought it was odd, an old Jewish doctor, would drive a German car named Borgward, but he loved them. Me and my brother always made fun of that name,,,Borgward. They were nice cars, Germans don’t build junk. This? Just waiting for that LS9 motor and clown wheels,
I read somewhere about two killers in the Pacific Northwest who had driven a Borgward at the start of their spree. The driver was Thomas Braun. The sidekick was Leonard Maine. This happened in the late 1960s.
That is a 59/60 Standard 60bhp Sedan
That is a 59 maybe a 1960 Standard 60bhp Sedan
Why is it someone ALWAYS has to suggest a V8 conversion for cars like these? Just askin’.
Because they don’t think further than a SBC motor as being the saviour of all cars.
yeah, bent8’s all wrong, follow Bullet & Gerard on this one. Great co, down to a heavy hand (who is still alive but started making ‘lesser cars’ of late).
I always see the pre-AMC nash rambler in these (‘merica’s 1st econo-box?)
My very first car was a 1964 Borgward Isabella Combi. It was their longroof version of this sedan.
Ahoi
In december 1960 the german magazin “Der Spiegel” (engl. “the mirror”) had an articel with the titel “Der Bastler” (engl. “the amateur constructor” or “the tinker”, difficult to translate…). Well, this articel was about Carl F. W. Borgward and of course also about Borward, Lloyd, Goliath and about money. 1961 this company the town and state Bremen becomes owner from this concern. A man from BMW, Dr. Johannes Semler, started to “save” this company. At this time BMW already produced something beetween the BMW Isetta and the BMW Barockengel – Ok, they also made motorcycels in times, when everybody wanted a car and not only a motorcycle. Well, at this time BMW also had big finanzial problems and they did it. And they also got help. Well, I know, that I don`t know everything. By the way, the factory in Bremen became and still is one of Mercedes. Now you can buy Mercedes, or is it already sold, I don`t know. But don´t worry, Chrysler isn`t connected with Mercedes anymore. Now it is part from the new DS concern with other big namens like Maserati. So, don`t worry…
Well, Borgward Isabellas where good constructed cars and they exported in a lot of countrys. In Europe, mostly Germany, there is a very good conected group of people who like this cars. You will find parts, but they won`t be very cheap but also not extreamly expensive (for a european classic car, don`t missunderstand). Well, perhaps somebody will save it, if not, part it out and don`t crush it only ….
Best regards,
Till J.
I agree it does need saving, i bought 2 in 2020 from the USA and shipped them to the UK, a 1960 Coupé that is under restoration and a 1957 Standard 60bhp Sedan (Saloon) which is as is lovely patina runs and drives
Good man. Thank you for saving two wonderful cars. The commenters on BF who deride them, and only see them as fit to carry a SBC motor, have never driven one, let alone owned one! The under bonnet view of the engine is remakable as there are virtually NO wires, cables etc. on view as they are all sealed and hidden away under the wheel arches which makes the engine bay look relatively bare. I hope I get to see your cars on show in UK one day. Keep up the good work. Ken Tilly. UK.
In the mid 60’s my Jr and Sr HS days, I worked for my father who at the time owned a large public parking facility, I had learned to drive a manual when I was 14 having a 40 chevy coupe as my first car. So, when I had one of these odd Borgward’s come into the lot one day I found it very interesting to discover it had a 4 on the tree set up. It is still to this day the only car I have driven with this 4 spd column shift. I worked the lot for a little over 2 years till Uncle Sam called me up. Never did I see another Borgward come into the lot. Rare and a classic oddball here on BF.
A semi-local guy has two Borgward Isabellas. I had to Google the name when he told me on the phone. I’ve never seen them, nor want to. Also, there’s a Goliath coupe at an antique auto salvage yard about 60 miles from me. Look up Oakleaf Auto Salvage of Hartford, SD. They also have a Citroen 2CV. Both cars spark interest in me… as do most of the other 4-500 old cars and trucks there. Note that their list of cars oddly leaves out most of the 1920s to 1960s vehicles. Several years ago, I spent a couple of hours taking pictures of about a quarter of them. Out of time I had to take off. I NEED to go back this Spring.
Buy it
Haul it home
Cut a giant hole in the roof
Fill it with earth
Use it as a planter
Nice flowers and a large tree in the middle
YARD ART
I would love to do that to an old car, but only if it were a Tri Five Chev or a Model A Ford!
Till J – I owned a 1967 Glas 1700GT which I bought new in southern Califonia. I had this car until 1974 when I stupidly sold it. It was a great looking, comfortable car easily outperformed the current Porsche 912 or the Alfa Romeo Spyder. The quality was excellent, accept it leaked water at the rear windows. Otherwise it was a study in space utilization, what with a large trunk and completely reclinable seats. The instrument panel was unequalled to this day, simply fabulous. It was by far my favorite car of all the ones I´ve owned in my long life. Than back in 1985, I bought a 1968 BMW 1600GT, a clone of the Glas which I modified, expanding the wheel wells on all 4 corners, adding driving lights, a Blaupunkt stereo, 4 chromed mag wheels and low profile Michelines – boy, I had a looker, what with the changes, bright red color and a rebuilt motor, I was ready to let´er rip! I had this car for almost 15 years, when I sold it at a Kruse classic car auction.
Interesting information about the German car industry in the 60’s. I’d love to get a Borgward Isabella Coupe. I have a Glas GT Coupe now and I agree with Gerard–it’s a blast to drive.
From what I’ve read, both BMW and Glas were in dire straits in the early sixties, teetering on the verge of bankruptcy. The Quandt family got funding from the state of Bavaria, but not Glas. BMW was then able to buy out Glas and acquire their factory in Dingolfing. There are German members of the Glas Club who to this day haven’t forgiven BMW for that hostile takeover.
Just think of the legacy we’d have if Borgward, Glas, NSU, and DKW had managed to emerge successfully out of the sixties.
I think both Glas and Borgward were entirely too prolific. Example: Glas designed and built cars with 2 cylinder 2-stroke rear mounted engines, 4-cylindev water-cooled front mounted engines, V8 engine, front-wheel drive, rear wheel drive, micro cars, small cars, middle class cars, sports cars, motorscooters, industrial vehicles, farming machinery – for a small manufacturer totally absurd. They simply overextended themselves. Building the ¨Glaserati¨ sports coupé with a V8 was an exercise in poor judgment – who would buy a Maserati-class car for a Maserati prize from a johnnie-come-lately manufacturer? Borgward also completely overextended themselves, rushed vehicles to the market, vehicles which were not ready suffering from quality control problems and miscalulations regarding priceing, Carl F. Borgward, for all of his tremendous talent, invited disaster.