Goliath

Goliath F400

The Goliath F400 is a three-wheeled pickup transporter, made by Hansa-Lloyd and Goliath Company Borgward & Tecklenborg in Bremen, Germany which was sold under the brand Goliath. It was based on the three-wheeled passenger car Goliath Pionier with a closed timber-framed wood cab. Unlike the Pionier, a three-wheel microcar, the rear of the F400 has a longer box as a panel van or a framed flatbed as a pickup truck. The rear axle was mounted on leaf springs, and the engine was under the seat. The front wheel was guided on a single swingarm. The body had a reclined front, externally mounted headlights and unlike the Goliath Pionier not a vertical, but a tilted windshield to reduce wind drag. The maximum speed of the "Quick Transport Vehicle" (Schnelltransporter) was 30 mph. It was equipped with an air-cooled two-cylinder two-stroke engine with 12 to 13.6 hp reached by a 396 cc engine displacement with a bore 60 mm and stroke 70 mm. The rear wheels were driven by a cardan shaft. The F200 was identical except for its smaller 198 cc single cylinder engine with just 6 hp. The maximum load specified for the F200 was only 500 kg, however, in place of the 750 kg maximum for the F400. For a short time, the F200 and F400 were leaders in this market segment with a total production of 18,368 vehicles. In 1935 an in-house manufactured 398 cc engine made its way in production. Other engines as well the smaller 198 cc engine from model 200 were produced by ILO-Motorenwerke. The reason for the half downsized 198cc engine was to meet the legal limit for license-free drivers and for tax credit eligibility. Predecessors of both models were open cab, motorbike based three-wheel freight carts Goliath Rapid/Standard, built 1926 to 1933 and Blitzkarren (Flashcart), built 1924 to 1927. Both these positioned the driver right at the back, behind the load platform, and although they are frequently described as predecessors of the F400, some commentators have objected to the description, pointing out that the F400 had virtually nothing in common with the earlier vehicles, which sold in different, but also in common periods.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Successor: Goliath FW400

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