Borgward Hansa 1800 History

Introduced in 1952 alongside the continuing Hansa 1500, the Hansa 1800 shared the same ponton body but used a 1758 cc four-cylinder engine producing 60 PS — a meaningful step up in performance for a car competing in the lower-premium segment of the recovering West German market.

From 1953, Borgward offered the Hansa 1800 D: a diesel variant with the same 1758 cc displacement but tuned for economy, producing around 42 PS. Diesel passenger cars were still a rarity in Germany at the time, and the offering reflected Borgward's willingness to engineer outside the mainstream.

The 1800 was retired in 1954 when the Isabella superseded both Hansa 1.5-litre and 1.8-litre lines; total production was modest compared with the Isabella that followed.