The small Lloyd 600 is a driving witness to the German economic miracle. In the 1950s, Germans had just rediscovered the joy of living. A modern kidney-shaped table and cocktail chairs were needed in the apartment, and an affordable vehicle in front of the house, in order to live the new attitude to life. With it one is master over time and space – free and detached from timetables and routes.

Carl F.W. Borgward had taken over Hansa Lloyd in 1929 and continued to run it after World War II. First under the name Goliath three-wheeled small transporters are produced, then in 1949 the passenger car Hansa 1500, followed by the Lloyd LP 300 in 1950. The company is booming, the Borgward – Goliath – Lloyd group is on the road to success, the brand names Hansa, Goliath and Lloyd are imprinted. From 1951, the Bremen-based group is called Lloyd Motorenwerke GmbH.

Borgward recognizes the signs of the times and lets the development department continue to work on small, low-cost vehicles. The first model, the Lloyd 300 with its 300 ccm, the two-stroke engine and the wooden body covered with Rulon leatherette went down in history as the “Leukoplast bomber”.

At the IAA 1955, the time had come: the first four-stroke was presented. It was the extremely successful Lloyd LP 600, which sold 35,329 units as early as 1956.

The new 600 engine now sat under a sheet steel hood. A two-cylinder twin with 19 hp and “shined” with an overhead camshaft and overhead valves. For insurance reasons, it was left at 19 hp, even though a more powerful design was desired, especially by station wagon drivers. Nevertheless, the little one managed 100 kilometers per hour – even if it took a whole minute to reach this top speed. In normal driving, the Lloyd 600 was even a bit more economical than the VW Beetle, with an average consumption of 7 liters per 100km.

The interior was practical and simple. The glove compartment had been given a lid, unlike the previous Lloyd 300. There was enough space for luggage in the Lloyd 600 due to the ponton-like shape, but the trunk was only accessible through the driver or passenger door. The heater was now standard, as was the starter on the ignition switch. The starter was no longer cable-operated, but functioned as a push-drive starter via a solenoid switch at the touch of a button. The turn signals were now on the front and rear fenders. From 1957, the Lloyd LP600 was produced in a further improved version as Alexander and later as Alexander TS.

In the last years of production Lloyd lowered the prices, the competitive pressure had become too great. Instead of 3680 DM (1955-1958) the car then cost only 3470 DM. Pleasing for the wallet was also the tax of 87 DM per year and the liability insurance of 120 DM.