The Lloyd 600 is a small car produced by the Borgward Groups's Lloyd Motoren Werke GmbH (Lloyd Motor Works) in Bremen between 1955 and 1961.
The Lloyd Alexander was identical to the Lloyd 600 in most respects, but in place of the three speed transmission of the Lloyd 600, the Lloyd Alexander featured a four-speed gear-box (and a higher final drive ratio). The Lloyd Alexander was offered, in parallel with the Lloyd 600, between 1957 and 1961. One difference visible from the outside was that the Lloyd Alexander included an opening hatch into the rear luggage locker, whereas drivers of the Lloyd 600 had to reach behind the rear seat in order to access the luggage locker.
There was also a Lloyd Alexander TS offered between 1958 and 1961 which featured a larger carburetor and a high final drive ratio, as a result of which it offered a maximum power output of 25 PS instead of the 19 PS available from the engine fitted to the Lloyd 600 and standard Lloyd Alexander.
Engine and running gear
Lloyd 600 and Lloyd Alexander
The Lloyd 600 and Lloyd Alexander were powered by an air-cooled two cylinder engine with a chain driven overhead camshaft. Unlike the Lloyd 400 which the Lloyd 600 initially complemented and then - after 1957 - replaced, the newer car featured a four-stroke engine. The cylinders were configured in parallel. The engine capacity of 596cc provided for a maximum power output of 19 PS (14 kW) at 4,500 rpm in the version supplied on the Lloyd 600 and the standard Lloyd Alexander, applying a 6.6:1 compression ratio. The top speed listed was 100 km/h (63 mph) and the car could reach 100 km/h from a standing start in 60 seconds. The car was fueled using "regular" grade petrol/gasoline and when driven normally consumed fuel significantly more frugally than West Germany's best selling small car, the Volkswagen. Space was at a premium in the Lloyd 600 and the 25 litre fuel tank was accommodated ahead of the bulkhead underneath the front hood/bonnet in a space shared with the engine and the six-volt battery. Power was fed to the front wheels via a three-speed manual gear box which used the same ratios as it had on the earlier Lloyd 400 from which it was lifted.
The front wheels were suspended from two transversely mounted overlapping leaf-springs, supported by telescopic shock absorbers: the rear wheels were attached to a Swing axle supported with longitudinally mounted leaf springs. The footbrake was controlled using a hydraulic linkage and drum brakes all round. The hand-brake worked on the front wheels and was operated with a cable linkage. The steering employed a rack and pinion mechanism which was conventional at the time. It required 2¼ turns between opposite locks: the turning circle was .
Lloyd Alexander TS
The Lloyd Alexander TS which appeared in 1958 was easy to differentiate from the basic Lloyd Alexander due to its "semi-elliptical" (more curved edges) front grille. The TS was fitted with an all-synchromesh four-speed gear box. Thanks to the larger carburetor and raised compression ratio – in this application of 7.2:1 – the manufacturer was able to claim a top speed for the Lloyd Alexander TS of 107 km/h (68 mph) and the time to 100 km/h from a standing start was reduced to 56 seconds.
The Lloyd Alexander TS also came with a completely redesigned back axle, which significantly improved the car's handling, and anticipated the rear-suspension configuration on the Lloyd Arabella (which appeared in Lloyd showrooms the next year). The rear axle was attached using semi-trailing arms (generally identified in contemporary sources simply as "trailing arms") with "progressively acting" coil springs. The TS also incorporated detailed enhancements such as the windscreen washer system and, new for 1957, asymmetrically dipping headlight beams.
Body
As with its predecessor, the Lloyd 400, the full name of the Lloyd 600 featured a two letter prefix that identified the body shape as follows: LP600 ("Limousine" / saloon), LC600 ("Cabrio-Limousine" / cabriolet), LK600 (panel van) and LS600 (estate). With the Lloyd Alexander these prefixes were dropped. There was, in any case, no "Cabrio-Limousine" version of the Lloyd Alexander listed.