Borgward Arabella: which version to buy
If you are choosing a Borgward Arabella rather than reading a catalogue overview, the choice is narrow and numerical. The model has 1 generation (1959–1963), one body — Sedan 2-doors — and 2 versions that share the same catalogue name 0.9 MT. They are not the same car. Distinguish them by power: 0.9 MT 44 hp and 0.9 MT 37 hp.
If you are choosing a Borgward Arabella rather than reading a catalogue overview, the choice is narrow and numerical. The model has 1 generation (1959–1963), one body — Sedan 2-doors — and 2 versions that share the same catalogue name 0.9 MT. They are not the same car. Distinguish them by power: 0.9 MT 44 hp and 0.9 MT 37 hp. Both use an 897 cm³ Gasoline engine, 4 cylinders in Opposite layout, 2 valves per cylinder, No boost, Front, longitudinal placement, Carburetor feed, a 4-speed Manual gearbox and FWD. Kerb weight is 735 kg, gross weight 1075 kg, tank 35 l, ground clearance 175 mm on both. Wheel sizes are not measured. City, highway and combined fuel use are not measured. CO2 and eco class are not measured. The arithmetic difference sits in compression, torque, 0–100 km/h and top speed — not in body, drive or mass.
Borgward Arabella generations: what actually changed
There is no second generation to “step up to.” 1 generation ran from 1959-01-01 to 1963-12-31, body Sedan 2-doors, 2 versions. Restyling is not a separate generation in this data.
What did change inside that generation is the engine output of 0.9 MT. The 37 hp 0.9 MT is listed from 1959-01-01 to 1963-12-31. The 44 hp 0.9 MT is listed from 1960-01-01 to 1963-12-31. The later listing is not a new model line: same 897 cm³, same 4 Opposite cylinders, same Carburetor, same Manual 4, same FWD, same 735 / 1075 kg, same 35 l tank, same 175 mm clearance, same independent spring suspension and drum brakes at both ends. The 1960 listing is a stronger tune of the same 0.9 MT name.
If a search for “Borgward Arabella 1961” is about a calendar year, 1961 sits inside both version windows: the 37 hp car is still in production, and the 44 hp car has already been listed for a year. Year alone does not pick a version; horsepower does.
There is no coupe version in this data. A “Borgward Arabella coupe” search does not map to a listed body here: the only body is Sedan 2-doors. “De luxe,” scale models and toy listings are not version keys in this set. The buy decision is 0.9 MT 37 hp versus 0.9 MT 44 hp.
Borgward Arabella engine and specs: the two 0.9 MT versions side by side
| Version (exact name) | Power | Torque | Displacement | Fuel | Cylinders / layout | Boost | Gearbox | Drive | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.9 MT (44 hp) | 44 hp / 33 kW at 5300 rpm | 64 Nm at 3500 rpm | 897 cm³ | Gasoline | 4, Opposite | No | Manual, 4 | FWD | 1960–1963 |
| 0.9 MT (37 hp) | 37 hp / 28 kW at 4800 rpm | 61 Nm at 2500 rpm | 897 cm³ | Gasoline | 4, Opposite | No | Manual, 4 | FWD | 1959–1963 |
Valves per cylinder: 2 on both. Engine placement: Front, longitudinal on both. Feed: Carburetor on both. Bore × stroke: 69 × 60 on both. Compression: 9 on 0.9 MT 44 hp versus 7.5 on 0.9 MT 37 hp (difference 1.5). Fuel grade is not measured on both.
The extra 7 hp on 0.9 MT 44 hp is 7 ÷ 37 ≈ 18.9% more peak power than 0.9 MT 37 hp. In kilowatts that is 33 − 28 = 5 kW. Peak power arrives 500 rpm later (5300 vs 4800). Torque rises by 64 − 61 = 3 Nm (≈ 4.9%), but the 44 hp peak torque is at 3500 rpm versus 2500 rpm on the 37 hp car — 1000 rpm higher. The milder 0.9 MT 37 hp makes its 61 Nm earlier; the stronger 0.9 MT 44 hp makes 64 Nm later and 44 hp at a higher crank speed.
Specific output on the same 897 cm³:
- 0.9 MT 44 hp: 44 ÷ 0.897 ≈ 49.1 hp per litre (33 ÷ 0.897 ≈ 36.8 kW/l)
- 0.9 MT 37 hp: 37 ÷ 0.897 ≈ 41.2 hp per litre (28 ÷ 0.897 ≈ 31.2 kW/l)
Difference: about 7.8 hp per litre. That gap tracks the compression step from 7.5 to 9, not a larger engine: displacement, cylinder count, layout, boost (No) and feed (Carburetor) are identical.
Performance and mpg: what the extra 7 hp buys
| Version | 0–100 km/h | Top speed | City / highway / combined | Tank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.9 MT 44 hp | 20 s | 133 km/h | not measured / not measured / not measured | 35 l |
| 0.9 MT 37 hp | 22 s | 120 km/h | not measured / not measured / not measured | 35 l |
0.9 MT 44 hp reaches 100 km/h 2 seconds sooner (20 vs 22) and runs 13 km/h faster at the top (133 vs 120, 13 ÷ 120 ≈ 10.8%). Fuel consumption in city, on the highway and combined is not measured for either version, so mpg cannot be used to pick a car from this data. CO2 is not measured. Eco class is not measured. Tank volume does not decide the purchase: 35 l on both.
If the question is “which engine for road pace,” the numbers point one way: 0.9 MT 44 hp. If the question is “which engine for earlier torque,” 0.9 MT 37 hp posts 61 Nm at 2500 rpm against 64 Nm at 3500 rpm.
Dimensions, weight and kg per horsepower
Kerb weight 735 kg and gross 1075 kg are the same, so payload from the two mass figures is 1075 − 735 = 340 kg on both versions. Ground clearance 175 mm is the same. Wheel sizes are not measured on both — tyre choice is not a differentiator in this table. Front suspension Independent, spring; rear Independent, spring; front brakes Drum; rear brakes Drum — identical, so chassis hardware is not the split.
Mass per unit of peak power:
- 0.9 MT 44 hp: 735 ÷ 44 ≈ 16.7 kg/hp (735 ÷ 33 ≈ 22.3 kg/kW)
- 0.9 MT 37 hp: 735 ÷ 37 ≈ 19.9 kg/hp (735 ÷ 28 ≈ 26.3 kg/kW)
The 44 hp car carries about 3.2 kg less per horsepower with no change in kerb weight. Gross-weight loading is the same 1075 kg either way. There is no generation that cut weight or raised clearance: 1 generation, one mass pair, one 175 mm figure.
Which Borgward Arabella version to choose
Choose 0.9 MT 44 hp if the priority is pace. It is the only version with 44 hp / 33 kW, 64 Nm, compression 9, 20 s to 100 km/h and 133 km/h. Against 0.9 MT 37 hp it adds 7 hp, 5 kW, 3 Nm, 1.5 compression points, 2 s off 0–100 and 13 km/h on top speed, at the same 735 kg. Listed from 1960-01-01 to 1963-12-31, so a 1959-only car cannot be this version.
Choose 0.9 MT 37 hp if the priority is the earlier listing and earlier torque peak. It is the only version with 37 hp / 28 kW, 61 Nm at 2500 rpm, compression 7.5, 22 s to 100 km/h and 120 km/h. It is listed from 1959-01-01 to 1963-12-31 — the full generation window. Peak torque is 1000 rpm earlier than on 0.9 MT 44 hp. You give up 7 hp, 2 s and 13 km/h and accept 19.9 kg/hp instead of 16.7 kg/hp.
Do not choose by gearbox, drive, body or fuel tank. Manual 4, FWD, Sedan 2-doors and 35 l are shared. Do not choose by mpg: city, highway and combined are not measured. Do not choose by wheels: sizes are not measured. Do not treat a coupe search as a third version: it is not in this data.
What “extra” buys, in these numbers only. There is no price in the source, so “extra money” is not a measured figure. What the stronger 0.9 MT buys in the table is 18.9% more horsepower, 4.9% more peak torque, 10.8% more top speed, 2 s quicker 0–100, 7.8 hp/l more specific output and 3.2 kg/hp less mass loading — paid for in a later torque peak (3500 vs 2500 rpm) and a later start of the listing (1960 vs 1959). Chassis, brakes, tank, clearance and 897 cm³ Gasoline 4 Opposite architecture stay put.
Reliability and problems are not measured in this data. A buy decision from these specs is a comparison of 0.9 MT 44 hp versus 0.9 MT 37 hp inside 1 generation, not a reliability ranking.
For sale and “kaufen” queries: this catalogue has no prices and no stock. The version to specify when you look is still the exact name 0.9 MT, then the power figure — 44 hp or 37 hp — because the name alone does not separate them.