Borgward developed the Arabella's engine in a rush after the intended uprated two-cylinder unit simply would not fit.
Lead trim: Arabella cut-price 897 cc boxer four (34 PS, 1960) · up to 44 hp
Borgward Arabella1959–1963
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FactBorgward developed the Arabella's engine in a rush after the intended uprated two-cylinder unit simply would not fit.
The Lloyd Arabella was a passenger car produced by the Borgward Group in West Germany between 1959 and 1961 and, after the company's bankruptcy, in greatly reduced quantities as the Borgward Arabella until 1963; a small family car, and the first (and last) car from Borgward's Lloyd division with a four-cylinder engine. It was an entirely new design (owing nothing to the Lloyd Alexander), developed in just 23 months, with a tube-steel frame, double-wishbone/coil-spring front suspension, trailing-arm rear suspension with anti-roll bar and four light-alloy 200 mm brake drums. A four-cylinder water-cooled boxer of 897 cc (front-wheel drive, longitudinally mounted with the gearbox ahead of the front axle) was hastily developed after the planned uprated two-cylinder Alexander unit would not fit; Saxomat semi-automatic transmission was optional. On its introduction in August 1959 the 897 cc had 38 PS (28 kW) at 4,800 rpm; a cut-price detuned model of July 1960 offered 34 PS at 4,700 rpm, and in October 1960 a de luxe version (with the Borgward "rhombus" grille) raised power to 45 PS (33 kW) at 5,300 rpm with higher compression and a larger Solex carburettor, lifting the top speed from 120 km/h to 133 km/h (75 to 83 mph). Output was 5,428 in 1959, 32,887 in 1960, 7,234 in 1961, 600 in 1962 and 893 in 1963 (47,042 in all), teething troubles causing massive damage to its image and the investment in it contributing to the 1961 bankruptcy. A Frua-bodied Sportcoupé (fifty bodies ordered, DM 7,500) was mated to Arabella underpinnings from the September 1959 Frankfurt show. Wheelbase 2,200 mm (87 in), length 3,800 mm (150 in), width 1,510 mm (59 in), height 1,395 mm (54.9 in), curb weight 730 kg (1,610 lb) empty.
Collectors Spotted in the Borgward Arabella Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Borgward Arabella yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
3 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arabella 897 cc boxer four (38 PS, 1959) | 1959–1960 | 0.9 L Flat-4 | 37 hp | — | — | FWD | — | — |
| Arabella cut-price 897 cc boxer four (34 PS, 1960) | 1960–1963 | 0.9 L Flat-4 | 34 hp | — | — | FWD | — | — |
| Arabella de Luxe 897 cc boxer four (45 PS, 1960–1963) | 1960–1963 | 0.9 L Flat-4 | 44 hp | — | — | FWD | — | — |
Owning one
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Owners’ builds
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Photographs
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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