The Blitzkarren (German ) was a cab-less

tricycle A tricycle, sometimes abbreviated to trike, is a human-powered (or gasoline or electric motor powered or assisted, or gravity powered) three-wheeled vehicle. Some tricycles, such as cycle rickshaws (for passenger transport) and freight trikes, ...

freight cart based on a

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

. It was produced in 1924 as the first complete production vehicle manufactured by the ''Bremer Kühlerfabrik

Borgward The former Borgward car manufacturing company, based in Bremen, Germany, was founded by Carl F. W. Borgward (1890–1963). It produced cars of four brands, which were sold to a diversified international customer base: Borgward, Hansa, Go ...

& Co. GmbH''. The company, located in Sebaldsbrück, a settlement in

Hemelingen Hemelingen (Plattdeutsch ') is a German city and district of Bremen belonging to the Bremen district East. Geography and districts Hemelingen is located about 6 km east of the center of Bremen on the right bank of the Weser. The neighbor ...

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

previously produced radiators and fenders for

Hansa-Lloyd Hansa-Automobil Gesellschaft m.b.H was a German car brand established in 1905, which in 1914 was merged with ''Norddeutsche Automobil und Motoren AG'' (NAMAG) into Hansa-Lloyd-Werke A.G.. From 1929 to 1931 it was taken over by the Borgward group. ...

. Between 1929 and 1931 Hansa-Lloyd was acquired by

Carl Borgward Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Borgward (November 10, 1890 in Altona, Hamburg – July 28, 1963 in Bremen (city), Bremen) was a German engineer and designer and the creator of the Borgward group, based in Bremen. Biography He was of modest origin, ...

and his co-investor Wilhelm Tecklenborg. Borgward also renamed his radiator manufacturing company to '' Goliath-Werke Borgward & Co. GmbH''. In 1924, responding to a designer complaining about the material transport for radiator production between the workshops by handcart, Borgward constructed this light truck. In difficult economic times before the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

Borgward discovered a gap in the market. There was a great demand from traders and small business owners for affordable motorized freight carts, that were legal to drive without a

license A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

. A Blitzkarren cost 980

Reichsmark The (; sign: ℛℳ; abbreviation: RM) was the currency of Germany from 1924 until 20 June 1948 in West Germany, where it was replaced with the , and until 23 June 1948 in East Germany, where it was replaced by the East German mark. The Reich ...

. In 1929, a quarter of the licensed commercial vehicles were made in Bremen. Carl Borgward had patented the Blitzkarren division. The patents were granted on June 20, 1925 in Germany, and on March 11, 1926 in England. Previously there had been similar tricycles used as passenger transporters, usually

single-seater An open-wheel single-seater (often known as formula car) is a car with the wheels outside the car's main body, and usually having only one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, sports cars, stock cars, and touring cars, which have thei ...

. Blitzkarren had neither

clutch A clutch is a mechanical device that engages and disengages power transmission, especially from a drive shaft to a driven shaft. In the simplest application, clutches connect and disconnect two rotating shafts (drive shafts or line shafts). ...

nor starter. The

two-stroke A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a Thermodynamic power cycle, power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being comple ...

motorcycle engine, under the flatbed, was coupled over a

V-belt A belt is a loop of flexible material used to link two or more rotating shafts mechanically, most often parallel. Belts may be used as a source of motion, to transmit power efficiently or to track relative movement. Belts are looped over pulley ...

on the left rear wheel and was pushed to start, and choked to stop, which was not difficult from the driver seat in the rear of a 250 kg payload vehicle on a flat road. The single front wheel was mounted in a

motorcycle fork A motorcycle fork connects a motorcycle's front wheel and axle to its frame, typically via a yoke, also known as a triple clamp, which consists of an upper yoke joined to a lower yoke via a steering stem, a shaft that runs through the steering h ...

, which was controlled from the rear.

References

{{reflist

External links

* (German
Datasheet of the Blitzkarren at the Goliath-Veteranes-Club
Three-wheeled motor vehicles Vehicles introduced in 1924 Goliath vehicles Borgward vehicles