Brennabor
Encyclopedia
Brennabor-Werke AG was a German manufacturer of infant buggies
, bicycles, motor-cycles
and, for two deacedes, of powered motor vehicles. It was based in Brandenburg an der Havel and operated between 1871 and 1945.
By the 1930s the company had grown to become Europe’s largest produced of infant buggies and was also a leading bicycle producer.
Volume production of motor bikes began in 1901, and from 1903 the company was producing, at this stage only to special order, three and four wheeled powered vehicles. 1908 saw the beginning of series production of cars, and this was also the year that the company’s own racing team began to enjoy world-wide success in motor sport. However, car production was suspended in 1914 with the outbreak of the First World War, while motor bike production was ended in 1916.
After the war, in 1919, the company presented the Brennabor Typ P, a car targeted at the upper middle classes, and volume production began in 1921. In 1924 Brannabor was employing approximately 6,000 people. During the mid 1920s Brennabor became Germany’s largest car producer, and it was still in second place, behind Opel
, in 1927/28.
In 1919 the company formed an alliance with two other manufacturers, NAG
and Hansa-Lloyd
, the resulting tripartite grouping being known as GDA (Gemeinschaft Deutscher Automobilfabriken /Association of German Carmakers). The association lasted until 1928 but never progressed to the point of becoming a formal merger between the member companies.
In 1923/24 Brennabor led the way, as one of the first German auto-makers (along with Opel) to adopt US-style production line techniques. However, Brennabor had no small car model to compete with Opel’s Laubfrosch
. The German economy was particularly badly hit by the world economic crisis of the 1920s, and the company saw demand and production volumes cut back at the end of the decade.
The company attempted a come-back in 1931, applying developments in front-wheel drive technology, using the Voran company’s patent, but this led only to a prototype based on the company’s six cylinder Juwel 6 model. There was insufficient funding for any progression to volume production of any front wheel drive model. 1932 saw an eight month hiatus in automobile production: production resumed at the end of the Autumn/Fall, but came to a permanent end in 1933.
The company continued as a producer of components and motor bikes until 1945, and also produced armaments during the Second World War, but it’s history came to an abrupt halt in 1945 when it found itself in the Soviet Occupation Zone and the plant was disassembled.
In the later 1940s the site would later be taken over and used for the creation of a Heavy tractor factory, in which form it continued till the 1960s. Since 1991 the former factory has housed a training centre owned by a subsidiary of the auto-engineering company, ZF Group
.
Baby transport
Baby transport consists of devices for transporting and carrying infants. A "child carrier" or "baby carrier" is a device used to carry an infant or small child on the body of an adult...
, bicycles, motor-cycles
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
and, for two deacedes, of powered motor vehicles. It was based in Brandenburg an der Havel and operated between 1871 and 1945.
History
The company was set up in 1871 by three brothers named Adolf, Carl and Hermann Reichstein. The brothers had already been producing basket-work child buggies and childrens’ two wheelers in 1870, and in 1881 had moved into the booming mainstream bicycle business. From 1892 the bicycles were branded with the Brennabor name.By the 1930s the company had grown to become Europe’s largest produced of infant buggies and was also a leading bicycle producer.
Volume production of motor bikes began in 1901, and from 1903 the company was producing, at this stage only to special order, three and four wheeled powered vehicles. 1908 saw the beginning of series production of cars, and this was also the year that the company’s own racing team began to enjoy world-wide success in motor sport. However, car production was suspended in 1914 with the outbreak of the First World War, while motor bike production was ended in 1916.
After the war, in 1919, the company presented the Brennabor Typ P, a car targeted at the upper middle classes, and volume production began in 1921. In 1924 Brannabor was employing approximately 6,000 people. During the mid 1920s Brennabor became Germany’s largest car producer, and it was still in second place, behind Opel
Opel
Adam Opel AG, generally shortened to Opel, is a German automobile company founded by Adam Opel in 1862. Opel has been building automobiles since 1899, and became an Aktiengesellschaft in 1929...
, in 1927/28.
In 1919 the company formed an alliance with two other manufacturers, NAG
Neue Automobil Gesellschaft
Neue Automobil-Gesellschaft was a German automobile manufacturer in Berlin.In 1902, German electrical company AEG purchased the coachbuilding side of Kühlstein under engineer Joseph Vollmer, renaming it NAG...
and Hansa-Lloyd
Hansa (car)
Hansa was a German car brand, which was part of the Borgward group. Hansa was based in Bremen.The Hansa-Lloyd company, in the Bremen suburb as Hastedt, had been established as a car and truck makers since 1905....
, the resulting tripartite grouping being known as GDA (Gemeinschaft Deutscher Automobilfabriken /Association of German Carmakers). The association lasted until 1928 but never progressed to the point of becoming a formal merger between the member companies.
In 1923/24 Brennabor led the way, as one of the first German auto-makers (along with Opel) to adopt US-style production line techniques. However, Brennabor had no small car model to compete with Opel’s Laubfrosch
Opel Laubfrosch
The Opel 4 PS, popularly known as the Opel Laubfrosch , is a small two seater car introduced by the then family owned auto maker Opel, early in 1924...
. The German economy was particularly badly hit by the world economic crisis of the 1920s, and the company saw demand and production volumes cut back at the end of the decade.
The company attempted a come-back in 1931, applying developments in front-wheel drive technology, using the Voran company’s patent, but this led only to a prototype based on the company’s six cylinder Juwel 6 model. There was insufficient funding for any progression to volume production of any front wheel drive model. 1932 saw an eight month hiatus in automobile production: production resumed at the end of the Autumn/Fall, but came to a permanent end in 1933.
The company continued as a producer of components and motor bikes until 1945, and also produced armaments during the Second World War, but it’s history came to an abrupt halt in 1945 when it found itself in the Soviet Occupation Zone and the plant was disassembled.
In the later 1940s the site would later be taken over and used for the creation of a Heavy tractor factory, in which form it continued till the 1960s. Since 1991 the former factory has housed a training centre owned by a subsidiary of the auto-engineering company, ZF Group
ZF Friedrichshafen
ZF Friedrichshafen AG, also known as ZF Group, and commonly abbreviated to ZF, is a German public company headquartered in Friedrichshafen, in the south-west German region of Baden-Württemberg....
.
Brennabor Cars
| Type | Years | Cylinders | Engine capacity | Power output | Maximum speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Typ A1 3,5/8 PS | 1905–1911 | 2 Reihe | 904 cm³ | 6–8 PS (5,9 kW) | 50 km/h |
| Brennaborette 3,5, 4 und 5,5 PS | 1907–1912 | 1 Zyl. mit 3,5 und 4 PS, 2 Zyl. mit 5,5 PS | 452 cm³ | 3,5 (2,6 kW), 4 und 5,5 PS | 35 km/h |
| Kleinwagen 6/12 und 6/14 PS | 1908–1910 | 4 cylinder inline | 12–14 PS | 70 km/h | |
| Typ D 10/20 und 10/24 (Prinz Heinrich Wagen) | 1910–1911 | 4 cylinder inline | 20 und 24 PS | 80 km/h | |
| Typ B 5/12 PS | 1911–1913 | 4 cylinder inline | 1328 cm³ | 12 PS (8,8 kW) | 55 km/h |
| Typ L 6/18 PS | 1911–1914 | 4 cylinder inline | 1592 cm³ | 18 PS (13,2 kW) | 60 km/h |
| Typ C 6/18 PS | 1910–1912 | 4 cylinder inline | 18 PS | 65 km/h | |
| Typ G 8/22 PS | 1910–1914 | 4 cylinder inline | 2025 cm³ | 22 PS (16,2 kW) | 70 km/h |
| Typ F 10/28 PS | 1911–1914 | 4 cylinder inline | 2476 cm³ | 28 PS (20,6 kW) | 80 km/h |
| Typ M 6/16 PS | 1914 | 4 cylinder inline | 1453 cm³ | 16 PS (11,8 kW) | 70 km/h |
| Typ P 8/24 PS Brennabor Typ P The Brennabor Typ P, launched in 1919, is the first car introduced by the Brennabor company after the First World War. For a few years in the early 1920s this middle market model, with production reaching 100 units per day just for the domestic market, took the company to the top of the German... |
1919–1925 | 4 cylinder inline | 2091 cm³ | 24 PS (17,7 kW) | 65 km/h |
| Typ S 6/20 PS Brennabor Typ S The Brennabor Typ S, launched in 1922, was a car introduced by the Brennabor company in order to complement their larger Typ P model. In 1925 it was replaced by the Brennabor Typ R which was essentially an updated version of the same model.... |
1922–1925 | 4 cylinder inline | 1569 cm³ | 20 PS (14,7 kW) | 70 km/h |
| Typ R 6/25 PS | 1925–1928 | 4 cylinder inline | 1569 cm³ | 25 PS (18,4 kW) | 70 km/h |
| Typ P 8/32 PS Brennabor Typ P The Brennabor Typ P, launched in 1919, is the first car introduced by the Brennabor company after the First World War. For a few years in the early 1920s this middle market model, with production reaching 100 units per day just for the domestic market, took the company to the top of the German... |
1925–1927 | 4 cylinder inline | 2091 cm³ | 27 PS (19,9 kW) | 75 km/h |
| Typ AL 10/45 PS Brennabor Typ A Brennabor Typ A was the designation given to a six cylinder car introduced by the Brennabor company in 1927. Successive versions appeared in subsequent years until the Typ As were replaced, by the Brennabor Juwel 6, for 1930.... |
1927–1930 | 6 cylinder inline | 2547 cm³ | 45 PS (33 kW) | 70 km/h |
| Typ Z 6/25 PS Brennabor Typ Z The Brennabor Typ Z, launched in 1928, was a car introduced by the Brennabor company, replacing the Brennabor Typ R, as the company’s contender in the medium sized car sector, had been a best seller on the German market during the modest return to economic growth that characterized the middle... |
1927–1929 | 4 cylinder inline | 1569 cm³ | 25 PS (18,4 kW) | 70 km/h |
| Typ AK 10/45 PS Brennabor Typ A Brennabor Typ A was the designation given to a six cylinder car introduced by the Brennabor company in 1927. Successive versions appeared in subsequent years until the Typ As were replaced, by the Brennabor Juwel 6, for 1930.... |
1927–1930 | 6 cylinder inline | 2547 cm³ | 45 PS (33 kW) | 85 km/h |
| Typ ASK / Typ AFK 12/55 PS Brennabor Typ A Brennabor Typ A was the designation given to a six cylinder car introduced by the Brennabor company in 1927. Successive versions appeared in subsequent years until the Typ As were replaced, by the Brennabor Juwel 6, for 1930.... |
1928–1932 | 6 cylinder inline | 3080 cm³ | 55 PS (40 kW) | 90 km/h |
| Typ ASL / Typ AFL 12/55 PS Brennabor Typ A Brennabor Typ A was the designation given to a six cylinder car introduced by the Brennabor company in 1927. Successive versions appeared in subsequent years until the Typ As were replaced, by the Brennabor Juwel 6, for 1930.... |
1928–1932 | 6 cylinder inline | 3080 cm³ | 55 PS (40 kW) | 85 km/h |
| Ideal 7/30 PS Brennabor Typ N In 1929 the Brennabor Ideal Typ N was introduced by the Brennabor company, which for much of that decade had been Germany’s leading auto maker.... |
1929–1933 | 4 cylinder inline | 1640 cm³ | 30 PS (22 kW) | 75 km/h |
| Juwel 6 10/45 PS Brennabor Typ B The Brennabor Typ B “Juwel 6” is a six cylinder automobile introduced by the Brennabor company in 1929 as a successor to the des Brennabor Typ A.... |
1929–1932 | 6 cylinder inline | 2460 cm³ | 45 PS (33 kW) | 85 km/h |
| Juwel 8 14/60 und 14/65 PS Brennabor Juwel 8 The Brennabor Juwel 8 is an eight cylinder automobile introduced by the Brennabor company in 1930 to complement their then recently introduced Juwel 6 model.... |
1930–1932 | 8 cylinder inline | 3417 cm³ | 60 PS (44 kW) | 100 km/h |
| Juwel Front 10/45 PS | Prototyp 1931 | 6 cylinder inline | 2460 cm³ | 45 PS | 85 km/h |
| Typ C 4/20 Brennabor Typ C The 1 Litre Brennabor Typ C is a small car introduced by Brennabor in 1931. In the wake of a sustained period of economic difficulties it represented a belated extension of the company’s range into the "small car" sector which hitherto Brennabor had ignored... |
1931–1933 | 4 cylinder inline | 995 cm³ | 20 PS (14,7 kW) | 75 km/h |
| Ideal extra 7/30 PS Brennabor Typ N In 1929 the Brennabor Ideal Typ N was introduced by the Brennabor company, which for much of that decade had been Germany’s leading auto maker.... |
1930–1933 | 4 cylinder inline | 1640 cm³ | 30 PS (22 kW) | 75 km/h |
| Typ D 4/22 | 1933 | 4 cylinder inline | 995 cm³ | 22 PS (16,2 kW) | 75 km/h |
| Typ E 8/38 PS Brennabor Typ E The 2 Litre Brennabor Typ E is a car manufactured, briefly, by Brennabor in 1933 as a successor to the company’s Typ B “Juwel 6.The Typ E was powered by a 6 cylinder 2 litre side-valve engine, mounted ahead of the driver and delivering 38 hp at 3,200 rpm... |
1933 | 6 cylinder inline | 1957 cm³ | 38 PS (27,9 kW) | 80 km/h |
| Typ F 10/45 PS | 1933 | 6 cylinder inline | 2460 cm³ | 45 PS (33 kW) | 90 km/h |
Sources and further reading (in German)
- Werner Oswald: Deutsche Autos Band 2 – 1920–1945. 2. Neuauflage, Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-613-02170-6
- Archiv Mario Steinbrink, Interessengemeinschaft Brennabor, www.brennabor-brb.de
- Pavel/Krause/Brekow: Von Brennabor bis ZF Brandenburg. Eine Industriegeschichte. Brandenburgisches Verlagshaus, 1996, ISBN 3894881070
- Stapf/Reichstein: Brennabor. Vom Korbmacher zum Autokönig. Aus dem Leben der Industriellen-Familie Reichstein 1839–1971 Kerschsteiner Verlag, 2005, ISBN 3-931954-12-9