AutoCult Borgward B1500 platform (1955) (Germany) „Lloyd Motorenwerke“

About the Original

The Alligator from Bremen

In 1950, Hanomag was introducing the American form of the driver´s cab in Germany with its truck L28 (a diesel engine with 45 hp, later 50 hp and a payload of 1.7 tons). Two years later Opel was overtaking it for the Blitz (58 hp, petrol engine and a payload of 1.8 tons) and was selling this transporter like “hotcakes”. Borgward was forced to adapt its 1.5 tons vehicle with its traditional driver´s cab.

In spring 1953, the prototype was ready with the new cab and was presented to the public at the International Motor Show in 1953 (from 19th to 29th of March) in Frankfurt am Main. The new driver´s cab could not deny its US-origin and “relationship” to Hanomag und Opel, but it met the taste of the customers. Only from April 1954 the “new” B 1500 was rolling off the assembly line (payload 1.6 tons). Because of its form, it was called later by historic vehicle lovers “alligator”. Both engine versions, 1.8 liters diesel (42 hp) and Otto engine (60 hp) came from the passenger car Borgward Hansa 1800. But by September of this year, the Bremen plant equipped the petrol version with a short-stroke 1.5 litre engine of the new passenger car Isabella (60 hp). The petrol engine made the name of the sales description “fast truck” which Borgward fully justified.  The maximum speed was at surprising 95 km/h.

In May 1959 all truck types of Borgward received new designations: the B1500 became the B 511.

Almost 20.000 of this versatile commercial vehicle were produced by the Bremen plant between 1954 and the production end in 1960.