1956-1961 Borgward Isabella Kombi

Here’s one from my bucket list.

Don't jump! You've got a really cool car!

Not sponsored by the NRA and dead bird not included. And hopefully not to scale!

I get the infatuation with German cars. They’re nice to drive and they used to actually be some of the best-built cars in the world. Emphasis on used to be. They are, by no stretch, that way any longer. But they were back in the day.

But many people don’t remember or know that there was a brand in the late 50s-early 60s that matched Mercedes and surpassed all of the others; Borgward. Some historians say that Borgward was the first company to resume building cars after the war and they produced some really fine cars that featured such high-tech as IRS.

Borgwards were built to the standards the Germans would like you to believe in their marketing these days, but don’t. Bulletproof, rock-solid, indestructible…these are all terms that not only apply to Borgwards, but also are deserved, though I’m not so sure about that when you pit them again salted American winter roads.

Even though I’ve driven an Isabella coupe, I’ve never even sat in the station wagon version, the Kombi (some sources spell it as Combi). Well, at least, not that I recall. My memory isn’t what it used to be (another reason for this blog – so I can keep track of things).

The Kombi two-door station wagon was powered initially by a 1.5 4-cylinder that pumped out a measly 60 (some sources say 65) hp. It weighed about 2400 pounds and it was under 14 and a half feet long. In 1956 MSRP was $2475 and the 0-60 dash back then took just under 23 seconds. Don’t forget that those were very different times; people didn’t drive the rocket ships they do now. By the end of the line in 1961, the Kombi’s MSRP had dropped to $2450 and weight had increased due to additional equipment to 2657 pounds, if my sources are correct.

There was a significant upgrade to the engine offered in the sedan and coupe along the way, called the Touring Sport (TS), which upped the power to 75 hp. I’ve been told that swapping a couple of parts will do the same for the Kombi. I think it may have entailed installing a double carb setup. This is the sort of thing we used to do in our driveways; no computers!

Total production worldwide was probably around 200K, but it’s difficult to ascertain how many of those were Kombis and how many were specifically sold in the States. The numbers I have indicate that there were around 3K Kombis built in 1956, around 6K to 7K each year from 1958-1960, and approximately 2200 in 1961.

Period reports stated emphatically how nice these cars were to drive; sporty and luxurious for a bargain price was typically the upshot. I know the coupe I drove was truly something special and I can only imagine the increased interior room of the Kombi only adds to the utility. Borgward has a pretty decent racing history, if that means anything to you.

About 20 years ago, you could pick up any Borgward for super cheap; a primo coupe or cabriolet for under $10K and a Kombi would definitely be half that. Of course, those days are long gone, but NADA lists just $8600 for a 1961 Kombi. That’s still a screaming deal for a rare classic German wagon. Triple that amount for a 61 TS coupe, by the way. But good luck finding one, Hemmings revealed two for sale, only one was a Kombi and it appeared to be long gone when I followed the breadcrumbs. There are a few gorgeous coupes on the market, though. But not many. You’re definitely not going to see another in your neighborhood and you’ll be the hit of the party at car shows.

Borgward went belly up in 1961, though a Mexican company continued to build them until 1970. But the story of the German company doesn’t end there; Carl Borward’s grandson Christan has revived the company with the assistance of Chinese backing. Behold, the future of Borgward…? I hope so! Even if it means a crossover to get things back on track.