Goliath was a subsidiary brand of Bremen-based Borgward (See The Many Faces of Borgward). Although Goliath had produced passenger cars before WWII, it was best known for its three-wheeled delivery vehicles. That is what it returned to producing in 1949. However, in 1950, it introduced the GP700 at the Geneva Motor Show, which was a small four-wheeled sedan. The GP700 was a 2-door sedan featuring a ponton-style 3 box design well ahead of Mercedes adoption of this design. The engine was a very basic 688cc 2 cylinder 2 stroke configuration befitting the basic needs of the vehicle’s target audience. However, it weighed just 1991 lbs. It produced 25hp, and critically for advertising, that made it good for more than 100KPH (102KPH to be exact). The engine was mounted transversely in the front, along with the gearbox, and drove the front wheels. This was direction-setting for a production vehicle in 1950. It also allowed for more room in the cabin.
By 1952, a cabriolet, an estate version, and a Sport Coupe, had joined the GP700 family (see Goliath GP700 Sport). The Sport Coupe had Bosch fuel injection in 1952, and the rest of the range followed suit. The four-speed gearbox was also fully synchromeshed in 1952. In 1955, a larger more powerful GP900 was introduced, and then in 1957 the GP1100 was introduced as a complete replacement for the GP700. There was plenty of innovation represented in the Goliath brand, and its’ contributions heavily influenced larger brands and later thinking.
