Lloyd LP 300 History

Introduced in April 1950, the LP 300 was Lloyd's answer to post-war Germany's desperate need for cheap personal transport. With steel in short supply, engineer Hermann Mathern's design used a plywood frame covered in kunstleder (synthetic vinyl fabric), completely sidestepping the need for large body presses. Its 293 cc two-cylinder two-stroke engine produced just 10 hp, yet the 75 km/h top speed was adequate for city errands, and at DM 3,334 the LP 300 undercut the Volkswagen Beetle by roughly 25 percent.

The car's combination of fabric bodywork and the sticking-plaster repairs that owners inevitably made to minor tears gave it the affectionate but pointed nickname 'Leukoplastbomber' — 'Band-Aid bomber' — a label that became part of West German automotive folklore. Power reached the front wheels through a chain drive and a three-speed unsynchronised gearbox. Windows slid horizontally rather than winding down, saving the cost of winder mechanisms.

Production ran from mid-1950 through end-1952 and totalled 18,087 units, peaking at 9,981 cars in 1952. Despite its limitations the LP 300 proved that there was a mass market for ultra-economy transport, validating Lloyd's product strategy and clearing the path for the more refined LP 400.