About Tough to Crack Puzzle #141: Borgward Hansa 1500 Sport Coupe

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Well done everyone. We got what we wanted as there were many of you who recognised last week’s puzzle car. Tobias Wenzel was too late with his answer, but hit the button with his reply: “The car is obviously a Borgward as the lid handle is visible (small give away for the make)”. Indeed, like Fred Puhn had also seen: “This looks like a Borgward, but that is a total guess.” You were right, Fred. The car is a 1951 Borgward Hansa 1500 but then a Sport Coupe version built by coachbuilder Rometsch of Berlin. Just two are believed to have been built as Gerd Klioba rightly states that “there is a contemporary photo showing a light and a dark one”, with none of them known to survive. So far the facts and figures, let’s see what you made for the rest of it. John Elema writes that the Sport Coupes were meant for promotional purposes only, but we are not too sure about that. Josef Boers knows these cars had a 2.4 metres long (shortened) wheelbase, and found more information in Auto Motor + Sport issue number 14 of 1951. He says the design possibly came from Johannes Beeskow, who became chief designer at Rometsch from 1953-on. He was not the only person mentioning Beeeskow, although we like his reservations. The Beeskow-link is nowhere confirmed (unless you can prove it). Ace Zenek concentrated on Rometsch’ various cars and mentioned that the company eventually took to restoration and building ambulances, but disappeared around the year 2000. Stuart Penketh links the car to Goliath, whose manager, August Momberger, “wanted to launch direct injection with a sports coupé so that the new technology would also be shown.” And he goes on: “Spring 1951, Rudy (Coachbuilder) created two coupés based on Goliath saloons, (never produced). Followed shortly, by a very similar series of two-door coupés, featuring sleek Rometsch bodies. As an extra feature for these Rometsch coupés, the direct-injection two-stroke engines were bored out to 845cc and output boosted to 36 hp. 27 Units of this coupé model were produced. The new technology was so advanced at the time that many workshops were initially unable to service the carburation system.” But are these the same cars? We aren’t too sure. This week’s prize goes to Gerd Klioba. He added: “The Coupé sold for DM 15,200, which could buy you a Mercedes-Benz 170S convertible and was more than twice the price of the Hansa sedan. It is not to be confused with the 1952 racing coupe of the same name, of which some cars have survived.” All facts, well done Sir.

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