SUN SEEKERS
Thesunisout,theskyisblue, there’s not a cloud to spoil the view – so what better way to make the most of the summer weather than to drop the top, fire up the engine and hit the road? The Porsche 356C 1600 SC Cabriolet is the first of our threesome to arrive, greeting us with the rich sounds emerging from the depths of its four-cylinder boxer engine. Slowly, the subtle backing vocals of a pair of in-line ‘fours’ gets louder as the Borgward Isabella Cabriolet and Mercedes-benz 190SL heave into view.
Just like their musical scores, the concepts of these three sun-worshippers are very different. The Porsche, even in Cabriolet form, is a purebred sports car with only the familiar body shape carried over from the first 356/2 Cabriolet of the late 1940s. Initially offered with a very manageable 40bhp from around 1100cc, the 356 as a coupé, Speedster and Cabriolet continued to develop in terms of driving dynamics over the ensuing decades. From just 87mph flat-out at the start, by the time this 1964 356C 1600 Cabriolet was built it was topping out at 115mph – and the SC wasn’t even the sportiest model on offer. In addition, there were effective disc brakes all around instead of the archaic drums of old. Producing 95bhp at 5800rpm, the now 1582cc four-cylinder boxer motor that provided the sting in the tail revealed how much potential its basic design had from the cradle.
The open-topped version of the Borgward Isabella is a rare thing indeed. While some 3575 examples of the 356C Cabriolet were produced in all available engine variants, a mere 200 Isabella Cabriolets in total were manufactured by the Cologne-based coachbuilder Karl Deutsch on behalf of Borgward, answering the prayers of fresh-air fanatics.
Later Isabella models are adorned with a diamond emblem in the radiator grille featuring ‘Borgward’ lettering, but in early convertibles such as this the name ‘Hansa 1500’ can still be seen – the brand under which the Isabella was initially produced in Bremen from 10 June 1954. Legend has it that the feminine name was a spontaneous suggestion by founder Carl FW Borgward, after he was asked what should be written on the secret pre-production models when they were out being tested on the public roads. Once it reached production, the enchanting Isabella was well received by fans of the marque and eventually became the most successful model in the company’s history.
Of course, the open Isabella that was born in 1955 is from a completely different bloodline to that of the Porsche. Where the air-cooled Zuffenhausen creation is all purpose, muscle and flat-four engine roar, the topless Isabella is always elegant. From the soft, rounded shapes of the coachwork to a cosseting interior ambience that is as comfortable as it is stylish, the Borgward makes for a charming travel companion. In view of this, the fact that the engine is hardly a fireball is almost irrelevant. In bald figures, the in-line four-cylinder unit generates 60bhp from 1493cc; combined with a relatively hefty kerbweight of 1040kg and a comparatively large frontal area that means a fairly conservative top speed of 84mph.