Goliath 1100 History

Unveiled at the 1957 Geneva Motor Show, the Goliath 1100 represented a decisive break from the brand's two-stroke roots. In place of the GP700's buzzy twin, it used a 1094 cc four-cylinder four-stroke boxer engine producing 40 bhp in standard form — enough for 125 km/h (78 mph). A higher-spec 'Luxus' variant fitted with a second carburettor and higher compression raised output to 55 bhp and top speed to 135 km/h (84 mph). A four-speed all-synchromesh gearbox was standard; from 1959 the Saxomat automatic clutch became an option.

Body styles at launch were a two-door saloon and a three-door estate (Kombi); a two-door coupé followed roughly a year later. The 1100 was a credible attempt to move the Goliath brand into the small family-car class, but it arrived late in the brand's life. In October 1958 — just over a year after launch — the car was quietly rebadged as the Hansa 1100, reverting to a nameplate Borgward had used before World War II, in an effort to distance the brand from its three-wheeler heritage. The Goliath name was formally discontinued for 1959.

Production of the car under both the Goliath and Hansa badges continued until 1961, when the entire Borgward group collapsed in a controversial insolvency that is still debated by German automotive historians as a possible politically motivated failure.