The Borgward chronicle with Hansa-Lloyd from 1931, Goliath, and Lloyd

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By Christoph Büch and Steve St.Schmidt (2026)

Goliath in the 1930s

The Goliath with the highest payload was the 1.5-ton Superior, introduced in 1930, which was identical in construction to the Hansa-Lloyd Columbus model. Since no engine with the required power was available, a suitable 37 hp gasoline engine was sourced from Berg-Heckmann-Selve AG in Altena, Westphalia. With this engine, the Superior reached a speed of 65 kilometers per hour. The vehicle remained on the market for only a short time, because from 1932 onwards it seemed more sensible to market the Columbus from Hansa-Lloyd with the same engine and tonnage instead.

Apparently as a result of an early joint project with Hansa-Lloyd, Goliath was already able to offer the one-and-a-half-ton Superior in 1930, which was identical in construction to the Hansa-Lloyd Columbus. This cooperation took place before Borgward took over the entire Hansa-Lloyd company. After this step was completed in 1931, production of the Superior model was discontinued in 1932 and continued by Hansa-Lloyd, which had since become part of Borgward. There, the model continued to roll off the production line as the Columbus.
In 1932, the Goliath Atlas replaced its predecessor, the Express, from 1927 and 1929. With virtually no external changes but equipped with a closed cab, the Atlas had a two-cylinder engine with 15 hp compared to the Express's single-cylinder engine with 14 hp. This increased the top speed from 45 to 50 kilometers per hour. The payload was now 1,000 kilograms instead of the Express's 650 kilograms.
The Goliath Atlas was also available as a panel van. Today, Nivea is the well-known name of a whole line of cosmetic products from Beiersdorf AG. The first Nivea cream came onto the market in pharmacies and drugstores in 1911 and quickly gained great popularity. During the Nazi era, Nivea cream was denigrated as an “un-German product.”

In 1932, the Goliath Atlas was introduced, a cabover vehicle with a payload of one ton. It was advertised as “the most modern fast truck in the world.” Based on the Goliath Express, to which it was very similar, it reached a top speed of 50 kilometers per hour with its 15 hp two-cylinder engine. The Atlas also had the entry door at the front of the vehicle. The company was particularly proud of the “comfortable, upholstered bench seat,” the signal button mounted on the “hand wheel,” and the Dyna starting system, which integrated the starter, alternator, and ignition. In the same year, the Rapid and Standard cargo motorcycles were given a new look, featuring a more modern rear wheel cover. Dynamically shaped horizontal beads on the sides characterized the new design. In 1933, the names Rapid and Standard were replaced by the type designations Z 200 and Z 400. The technical data remained unchanged, only the purchase prices rose slightly.

This is how people worked in the 1930s: The two photos from the assembly halls of the Goliath factory are from a special edition of the German trade journal Das Lastauto (The Truck) from 1933.
In 1933, the Goliath F 200 and F 400, the fathers of all three-wheeled rear-loading trucks, were launched. Although they were indistinguishable in appearance, the two models had different technical specifications. The F 200 had a payload of half a ton, while the F 400 had a payload of 750 kilograms. The air-cooled 198 cc engine of the F 200 delivered 5.5 hp, while the F 400's 396 cc engine delivered 10 hp. The maximum speeds were 38 and 50 kilometers per hour, respectively. The F 200 model could be driven without a driver's license.
F 400 of the first generation from 1933 as a panel van

At the end of 1933, the F 200 (5.5 hp, 500 kg payload) and F 400 (10 to 11 hp, 750 kg payload) three-wheeled delivery vans were introduced. The rear wheels were driven by air-cooled two-stroke gasoline engines manufactured in-house (LE 200 P and F 400). The loading area was located behind the cab, and there were flatbed trucks, panel vans, and combination vehicles (i.e., both delivery trucks and cars). The purchase prices were 1250 and 1430 marks. In 1935, both three-wheeled models were given more modern cabs with sloping windshields. In 1936, the engine power was increased to 6.5 and 12 hp. The payload was now 680 and 930 kg and was increased again in 1937 (to 690 and 1010 kg). Until at least 1933, the F 200 model was exempt from tax and driver's license requirements, with transition periods finally abolished in 1937.

The second generation of the F 200 and F 400 three-wheeled delivery vans was launched in 1935. The new cab with its sloping windshield gave the vehicle a more modern overall appearance. The elimination of the side cooling fins for the engine located under the seat also contributed to this. The technical data, however, remained unchanged. Also in 1935, the Swiss company Lindt & Sprüngli, founded in 1898, granted a license for chocolate production to the Leonard Monheim company in Berlin.
The F 400 as a flatbed truck in side view

Another light commercial vehicle from Hansa-Lloyd-und-Goliath-Werke was the four-wheeled L 500 conventional truck with a 14 hp two-stroke gasoline engine and a payload of 750 kg, which was launched in 1934. At the end of 1934, it was given a new hood design. The cooling slots were replaced by fine-mesh grilles. In 1935, the L 500 became the L 600, which could be delivered with a variety of superstructures “for every purpose and every industry,” as the advertising slogan said. Its top speed was 55 kilometers per hour.

In 1934, the four-wheel L 500 delivery van with a three-quarter-ton payload was introduced. Its air-cooled two-stroke engine with a displacement of 500 cubic centimeters produced 14 hp and consumed 8.5 liters of gasoline per 100 kilometers. In the same year, the decision was made to replace the distinctive ventilation slots at the front and sides of the hood, which had initially been considered attractive, with fine-mesh grilles.
Here is the second version of the L 500 with a modified hood. The appearance remained unchanged in 1935, when the model designation was changed to L 600. The engine now had an output of 18 hp, but production was discontinued in 1936.

Over the course of the 1930s, additional locations were established: in addition to its headquarters in Bremen, Borgward invested in branch plants and supplier factories, for example in Osterholz-Scharmbeck, north of Bremen. There, special body components were produced and individual model series were assembled, in particular for later special-purpose vehicles and export versions. The logistical connection to the port of Bremen proved to be strategically valuable. Borgward also built a completely new plant in Sebaldsbrück, in what is now the Hemelingen district of Bremen, designed by Hamburg architect Rudolf Lodders. A modern factory complex surrounded by green spaces with bright, spacious rooms was built on an undeveloped 223,000 square meter site. The 1930s were marked by economic growth. Annual production rose from 4,210 vehicles in 1932 to 16,775 vehicles in 1936, while the workforce grew to 5,233 employees.

This illustration is taken from a 1932 Goliath brochure and shows an artistic representation of the Hansa-Lloyd and Goliath factories in Bremen. The caption is full of superlatives (Largest specialized factory in the world), the veracity of which the viewer can judge for themselves.
In 1935, another delivery van appeared, the “Atlas II” model. Unlike its predecessor, the cabover “Atlas I,” it had a conventional design. The 600 cc two-cylinder engine produced 18 hp. For the first time, four gears were available. With a fuel consumption of twelve liters of gasoline per 100 kilometers, the maximum speed was 45 kilometers per hour. The payload was one ton.

In 1935, the Atlas II model was introduced, replacing the first Atlas from 1932. The Atlas II was a conventional truck with an angular hood and a payload of one ton. The 600 cc engine with 18 hp enabled a top speed of 45 kilometers per hour. The Goliath Rekord was launched in the same year, initially equipped with a 14 hp two-stroke engine with two cylinders, which was located under the driver's seat. The round design of the hood had no openings and gave the three-quarter-ton truck a modern appearance with flowing lines. This changed as early as 1936, when a water-cooled, “lively and hill-climbing” four-cylinder engine with 24 hp was installed under the hood. In 1937, the name Rekord was replaced by “Goliath 1 to.” By decree of the National Socialist government, so-called “fantasy names” for commercial vehicles were banned and had to be replaced by combinations of numbers and letters referring to the payload. The measure served the purpose of war preparation, as the authorities responsible believed that a clear nomenclature was essential in an emergency.

The first Goliath Rekord looked almost like an electric delivery van. The absence of radiator slots in the round hood gave the three-quarter-ton truck a very special, modern look. This delivery van also had four forward gears and one reverse gear. The air-cooled two-stroke engine with a displacement of 494 cubic centimeters produced 14 hp and enabled a top speed of 50 kilometers per hour.
Brochure title from August 1935
To complete the jumble of Goliath models from the 1930s, we present here the last two creations from the Bremen-based delivery van manufacturer: First, there is the second and last version of the Goliath Rekord from 1936, which differed from its predecessor in its conventional appearance with the usual hood design. The technical data had also changed fundamentally: the water-cooled four-cylinder engine with a displacement of 1,100 cubic centimeters now delivered 24 hp, the payload was specified as one ton, but the top speed was still over 50 kilometers per hour.
In the 1937 brochure for the Goliath Rekord II, “the new one-tonner” looked faster than it was – the graphic designer had made an effort to make the delivery van look as dynamic as possible.

In 1936, the company became a stock corporation, the “and” in the name was dropped, and the company was now called Hansa-Lloyd-Goliath-Werke A.G. However, this structure only lasted for one year. In September 1937, co-owner Wilhelm Tecklenborg left the company with a severance payment of four million Reichsmarks. His original investment in 1925 had amounted to 10,000 Reichsmarks. Borgward was now the sole owner of the company, which was henceforth called Hansa-Lloyd-Goliath-Werke Carl F. W. Borgward.

The last new releases from Goliath-Werke before World War II were the FW 200 and FW 400 three-wheeled delivery vans in 1938, which were identical in appearance. Their water-cooled single and two-cylinder engines with 6.5 and 13 hp were no longer installed under the seat, but under the hood, which now featured a radiator grille. However, production had to be discontinued in the same year because the government's Schell Plan imposed rigorous type restrictions on all German motor vehicle manufacturers. The production of three-wheeled vehicles was irrelevant for the impending war.

The successors to the F 200 and F 400 three-wheeled delivery vans were the last models produced by Goliath before World War II. The FW 200 and FW 400 models were launched in 1938 under the manufacturer name Borgward, but production had to be discontinued at the end of the year due to the onset of the war economy. It was not until ten years later that Goliath was able to offer three-wheeled vehicles again.