1963 Goggomobil TL-400 Transporter Van

Hans Glas, GmbH, at Dingolfing, Germany built the Goggomobil. Glas was originally a manufacturer of agricultural machinery, then built the Goggo, a motor scooter, in 1951. Beginning in 1955, the company produced a small sedan called the 'Goggomobil.' It was a four-passenger, two-door car with a 15-horsepower, two-stroke 250cc engine that was mounted in the rear. Also available was a coupe with a more streamlined roof line. In total, nearly 220,000 examples of the sedan and 66,000 coupes were built through 1969.

The Goggomibl had independent suspension in both the front and the rear. Other mechanical components included Hydraulic brakes, a four-speed manual transmission, and a two-stroke, two-cylinder engine.

Deutsche Bundesposte, the German post office, used the Goggomobil to deliver the mail. Their Kleintransporter (little van), used a larger, 398cc engine and had lower gear ratios. Production continued through 1964. Goggomobil produced 3,665 Kleintransporters between 1957 and 1965, fully 2,000 were taken by Deutsche Bundesposte.

This example was part of the Bruce Weiner collection and is currently outfitted in the livery of Krispy Kreme, the popular American doughnuts. This example has been completely restored. It is painted red and has a white top, gray seating, and interior panels.

In 2010, this vehicle was offered for sale at the Sports & Classics of Monterey presented by RM Auctions. It was estimated to sell for $60,000-$80,000 and offered without reserve. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for the sum of $88,000.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2010