Production 1952–19591,032 built Engine 2337 cc straight-6 | Layout FR layout | |
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Transmission 4-speed all-synchromesh manualautomatic optional | ||
The Borgward Hansa 2400 was a large six-cylinder saloon first presented in 1951 and manufactured by the Bremen based auto-manufacturer Carl F. W. Borgward GmbH from 1952 to 1959. The car was launched as a four-door fastback saloon: a longer-wheelbase notchback version appeared a year later. The Hansa 2400 suffered from teething troubles that included inadequate brakes and problems with the automatic transmission that Borgward themselves developed for it: in a market segment that was closely contested but small, the large Borgwards lost out to less flamboyant models from the German south.
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Chronology and design
The Hansa 2400 commenced production in 1952 as a large fastback saloon, its profile reminiscent of the recently introduced Hudson Super Wasp. It had presence. Unusually even at this time, all four doors were forward opening which presumably facilitated access and egress. The body was an all-steel integral structure, as on the car's four-cylinder sibling.
Sales material placed emphasis on the car's luxury features, such as a heating and ventilation system that ducted air direct to rear passengers as well as to the front, with each system and side separately adjustable. Items such as the cigarette lighter, the self-parking windscreen wipers and the side windows that wound down fully into the doors barely merited a mention. The spare wheel was stowed flat in a compartment beneath the boot / trunk. It was accessible through a hatch behind a section of the rear bumper / fender, so that a wheel change could be undertaken without the need to empty out the luggage.
New shape
A year later a longer-wheelbase notchback limousine version appeared: options included a partition to enable the car to be used for traditional chauffeur operations.
In 1955, production of the fastback saloon ceased. The long-wheelbase car underwent a minor facelift which involved more prominent headlamp surrounds. It was produced through to 1959.
Power
It is possible that the car had originally been intended for sale with the four-cylinder 1758 cc engine that instead found its way into an uprated version of the Hansa 1500. In the event, the larger car was launched with a six-cylinder engine of 2337 cc for which a power output of 82 bhp (61 kW; 83 PS) was claimed along with a top speed of 150 km/h (93 mph). The 1955 package of improvements included engine modifications that increased the advertised output to 100 bhp (75 kW; 100 PS).
Power was delivered to the rear wheels via a four-speed manual gearbox with synchromesh on all ratios. An automatic gear change option was also advertised, making the car, according to some sources, the first German car to be offered with automatic transmission.