Description

1958 Goliath 1100 Express 21-window Luxus-Bus

Rock-solid New Mexico import; ultra rare bus ideal for the school run; running and driving in 2019; great investment potential; easy project

Part of the Borgward Group; Goliath -Werke produced a range of small saloons and kombis during the 1950s which went head to head with Volkswagen. When VW introduced their Transporter, Goliath quickly responded with the 1100 Express.

Using a water-cooled four-cylinder boxer-engine producing some 55bhp, they out-performed their asthematic VW competition in almost every department. They were a lot lighter, using aluminium panels beind the cab, including the roof and thanks to a full height rear door, made the most of their 'cab-over' layout too, offering similar internal dimensions in a smaller overal package - all this sophistication added to their cost and they were never cheap - quality never is!

This very solid and lovely survivor was imported from New Mexico in 2014 according to the accompanying shipping documents and US title. It does need a thorough recommissioning, but its vendor had the bus up and running as recently as last year. Clearly it will need a retrim, but the esentials are very good, including the aluminium coachwork.

It certainly is a rare old beast, with just seven others known to the Goliath Veteranen Club, making it far more exclusive than its cheaper (when new!) VW Samba competitor and even more fun. How many windows does it have? Is it 21 or 22?....it is as many as can be squeezed in that is for sure, making the interior a particularly airy and pleasant place to be.

Other than the aforementioned import and title paperwork, it comes with a rare workshop manual which is a nice addition to the lot and the paperwork provided should be sufficient for UK registration without difficulty.

Given the stratospheric prices achieved by 21 window Sambas these days, this interesting and quirky alternative looks a veritable bargain at the catalogue estimate.

For more information - contact Matthew Parkin 07813 936698 matthew.parkin@brightwells.com