Lloyd

The Arabella was introduced in 1959. It was a completely new design, owing nothing to the Lloyd Alexander which it initially complemented and then replaced in the manufacturer's range. The all-steel body followed modern styling trends and featured a panoramic wrap-around rear window and tail fins. It was originally planned to power the Arabella with an upgraded version of the two cylinder four-stroke power unit used in the Lloyd Alexander, together with a suitably upgraded gear box from the same car. However, testing of a chassis equipped with this combination indicated that would not all fit under the bonnet of the body, which by that stage had been finalised, so a four-cylinder, 897 cc boxer motor was hastily developed. During 1960 it was necessary to impose a major price increase and in order to soften the blow, a reduced specification cut-price Arabella was launched in July 1960, still with the 897 cc engine, but now in a detuned form. In October 1960 a de luxe version of the Arabella was added to the range.

1959

A considerable investment and disappointing sales led to the bankruptcy of parent company Borgward in September 1961, followed by a bankruptcy of Lloyd in November. The Arabella was the only model that continued in production for another couple of years, with the plant now rented from its new owner by a group of former employees who had acquired the necessary rights during the liquidation process. It was marketed under the Borgward nameplate, because of that brand's prestige and fame.