Flossen in the ABQ: 1961 Borgward P100

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This next car came in as a tip from Johnny Bouncewell, who writes: “There sure are a lot of strange things in the desert.” An early ’60s German orphan on the outskirts of the American Southwest city that is sistered with Helmstedt, Germany? Helm yeah. This thing looks like it has been sitting for 40 years but is apparently a runner and “could be a driver” according to the seller. Find this 1961 Borgward P100 for sale in Edgewood (near Albuquerque), NM for $2,500 via craigslist.

The P100 was a contemporarily styled 4-door sedan built for just a few model years by the small Bremen-based automaker that went out of business during the Kennedy administration. Strangely enough, the founder’s grandson recently revived the company as a Swiss/German/Chinese mutt and is now marketing the BX7 SUV as its first product in over 50 years.

The P100 is a handsome enough little devil, which like Opels and German Fords of the time looked like a scaled-down (i.e. reasonably sized) version of the American late 50s design ethos. To me it resembles a mid-50s Hudson, just like the earlier Hansa resembled the step-down Doc himself. No word on whether the trailer is included, but the body looks solid enough and if the car does run decently, it might be only a few months away from becoming a “patina cruiser” or something of that ilk.

The little vestigial tail fins (flossen) continue the straight horizontal trim lines and look like pointy cat’s ears on the otherwise soapbar-shaped rear end. I can’t help but wonder what this would look like rolling on some meaty tires and slammed on airbags…wait…this thing had pneumatic suspension from the factory! The P100 was fitted with self-leveling air suspension, pretty advanced stuff for the early ’60s. No word on if that’s functional but expect to visit your local Firestone dealer if you want a reliable “bag” setup.

The 2.5 liter inline six looks crusty – like it hasn’t run in decades – so plan on verifying actual condition or at least stocking up on Borgward engine parts. But for $1 per cc, this thing is a deal if it actually runs and drives.

See a stranger orphaned oddball that suddenly has parents again? email us here: tips@dailyturismo.com