Some makes and models of older cars are so obscure that the most common way to find them is as a sun-baked hulk in someone’s yard. Such is often the case with Borgward, a Bremen, Germany-based manufacturer of upper-middle-class luxury cars that slotted in the gap between Mercedes and VW/Opel. With a top speed of over 80mph, 4-wheel independent suspension, a hydraulic clutch, and more competitive features, it was quite a nice car in its day, and fairly successful with production of just over 200,000 cars. Unfortunately, the parent company failed to take advantage of economies of scale across its four divisions (Borgward, Hansa, Goliath, and Lloyd), and thanks to this and a slump in demand at home and abroad, went bankrupt in 1961. The current seller of this Borgward Isabella coupe, for sale for $900 in East Los Angeles, CA, will probably also not be clearing a profit on his car.
Rusty But Trusty 