Lloyd 400
| Lloyd 400 | ||
|---|---|---|
Curb weight | 510 kg (1,124 lb) (empty) 820 kg (1,810 lb) (loaded) | |
The Lloyd 400 is a small car produced by the
As with its predecessor, the Lloyd 300, the full name of the Lloyd 400 featured a two letter prefix that identified the body shape as follows: LP400 ("Limousine" / saloon), LK400 (panel van) and LS400 (estate). From August 1955 an LC400 ("Cabrio-Limousine" / cabriolet saloon) was also offered.
Engine and running gear
The Lloyd 400 was powered by an air-cooled twin cylinder
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 11 m (36 ft). The front wheels were suspended by two laterally mounted leaf springs. At the back there was a swing axle with semi-elliptical longitudinally configured leaf springs.[2] There were essentially three development phases for the Lloyd 400, and the first batch of cars was delivered with drum brakes of 180 millimetres (7.1 in) diameter, controlled via a cable linkage. From March 1953, however, a hydraulic linkage mechanism was installed, and on cars produced after August 1955 the diameter of the brake drums was increased to 200 millimetres (7.9 in).[2] The mechanically controlled hand brake worked on the front wheels.[2]
A budget version of the Lloyd 400, the Lloyd 250, was launched in April 1956. Its stripped down specification meant the removal of hub caps and bumpers, and there was no backrest for passengers in the back. The reduced size and power of the engine in the Lloyd 250 nevertheless enabled it to be driven legally with a "Class IV" driving license, meaning that in West Germany it could be driven by people who had not yet passed a standard driving test.[2]
Body
Structural changes through the model life define the three phases of the Lloyd 400's production.[2] The car was launched with a timber frame body, clad in a synthetic-leather outer skin, reflecting the structural underpinnings of the Lloyd 300 of which the Lloyd 400 was in many respects an upgraded version. However, only about 1,000 cars had been produced before the skins on the wing panels were replaced with steel panels in March 1953.[1] From January 1954 the bonnet/hood and boot/trunk lids were also formed of sheet steel, and cars produced after November came with a steel roof. The steel roofed Lloyd 400s are easy to differentiate from earlier cars with synthetic leather skin covering the roof, since the switch to a steel roof was accompanied by an increase in the size of the (now curved) rear window.[2]
Lloyd themselves still had no heavy presses for stamping body panels from sheet steel. Body panels were bought in, delivered in bare-metal form to the Lloyd factory in Bremen for finishing, assembly and painting. Most of the cars produced were LP400 Limousine (saloon/sedan) bodied cars. A LS400 Kombi (estate/station wagon) was also available along with an LK400 panel van. In September 1955 an LC400 Cabrio-Limousine (convertible) joined the range.[2] The doors were hinged at the rear edge in every case.
Commercial
In 1953 the Lloyd LP400 (saloon/sedan) came with a manufacturer's recommended price of DM 3,780, while the Kombi was priced at DM 3,970. By September 1955, supported by that year's healthy sales volumes, and presumably in response to pressure from the market, the price of the LP400 was down to DM3,350, and the Kombi was offered at DM3,480. However, the small car market in West Germany was increasingly dominated by
The Lloyd 400 was nevertheless considered a commercial success. In 1955, production peaked, at 47,903 cars, which represented more than 50% of the cars produced by the entire
See also
References
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- ^ German wikipedia gives a total volume of 109,878 units: no explanation has been found for the discrepancy.
