Pioneering Innovations / Carl F. W. Borgward Quickly and Automatically Shifted Gear

PR62011

STUTTGART, Germany, Oct. 1, 2015 / PRNewswire=KYODO JBN / --

-Cross reference: Picture is available at AP Images (http://www.apimages.com)

and http:// http://www.presseportal.de/nr/115998/bild  

After the Second World War, it was the US automobile industry that led the way

in comfort-related features. Carl F. W. Borgward kept a keen eye on

developments across the Atlantic. In particular, he had a strong hunch that the

automatic transmission would prove popular with German customers, just as it

already had with US motorists. In 1956, he was able to try out a Citroen DS

with semiautomatic transmission. His prophecy was perhaps a little too

optimistic: "Within 20 years, two-thirds of all cars in Germany will be fitted

with automatic transmission."

As early as 1949, the Bremen-based carmaker had begun to lay the groundwork for

the development of its own automatic transmission. Known as the X-transmission,

it was only ever used in prototype vehicles. Because it directly transmitted

engine vibrations to the vehicle itself, BORGWARD declared it unsuitable and

launched the in-house development of a second automatic transmission. This

so-called Y-transmission was fitted with a mechanical vibration damper. As with

all of his pioneering innovations, Borgward then stepped on the gas. By 1950,

the Bremen carmaker had installed the Y-transmission in several hundred Hansa

1500 models and handed them over to dealers, plant employees and selected

customers for fleet testing. The aim was to gain experience through everyday

driving so that the company could make continuous improvements to the

three-speed automatic transmission. Although the automaker was able to iron out

many problems, one remained: The clutch plates - which enable the automatic

gear change - proved very prone to wear.

In October 1952, the first ever Hansa 2400 S was handed over to the well-known

actress Olga Tschechowa at the company's main plant in Sebaldsbruck. The

vehicle was equipped with the Y-transmission, which thus began to be delivered

in upper-range saloons. The transmission was described in the brochures as the

"fully automatic BORGWARD hydraulic transmission model 52". As such, BORGWARD

was the first German automobile manufacturer to mass produce a fully automatic

passenger car transmission designed and developed completely in-house.

Meanwhile, Carl F. W. Borgward continued the development work and personally

oversaw the progress of the in-house development team. Next to emerge from the

company's test department was the Z-transmission. This was designed without a

power-draining torque convertor, thus increasing the transmission's efficiency.

Yet Borgward was not completely satisfied with its quality. At the same time,

unit sales of automatic models remained modest, which indicated a less than

promising future for

costly in-house developments. For this reason, too, Carl F. W. Borgward

continued to monitor new developments from the automotive suppliers, even as

the company was working on its own transmission. In 1958, the Mechamatic

transmission of Howard Frederick Hobbs came to his attention. Rather than a

torque convertor, it featured a proven hydromatic multi-plate clutch and an

automatic four-speed epicyclic gear set. It was also ready for series

production and had already shown its mettle in a number of British vehicles.

That very same year, BORGWARD signed a supply contract with Hobbs Transmission

Ltd and, in 1959, placed an initial order for 200 automatic gearboxes. These

were, however, systematically enhanced before being used in BORGWARD

automobiles. The transmission was named "Hansamatic" in the price lists of the

BORGWARD P 100 and Isabella. The company's own in-house transmission

development thus came to an end.

Borgward, it was often said, could be as stubborn as a mule. This time,

however, he demonstrated great entrepreneurial skill and flexibility. Lacking a

suitable product from suppliers, he initially pushed ahead with his own

development, because he was convinced of its benefit to the customer. Soon,

however, sobering cost-benefit analyses told him that the venture was highly

unlikely to prove profitable. He therefore turned once again to the suppliers,

secured one of the best as partner, and then substantially enhanced the product

for his own use. Now, that's clever business practice.

Further information

BORGWARD Group AG

Kriegsbergstrasse 11

70174 Stuttgart, Germany

Jurgen Schramek

Head of Product Communications

Telephone: +49-711-7941851000

e-mail:media@borgward.com

http://www.borgward.com

SOURCE: BORGWARD Group AG