| Goliath Goli | |
| Manufacturer: | Hansa-Lloyd and Goliath-Werke |
| Production: | Goliath Company, Bremen, Germany |
| Model Years: | 1955-1961 |
| Class: | light truck |
| Body Style: | pickup truck, panel van, freight box |
| Layout: | MR layout |
| Engine: | two-stroke 465 cc 2l-engine 11 kW (15 hp) at 4000–4500 rpm |
| Transmission: | unsynchronized manual 4-speed gear-box |
| Wheelbase: | 2950- |
| Length: | 4550- |
| Width: | 1750- |
| Height: | 1600inches |
| Weight: | 730- or 790- |
| Predecessor: | Goliath GD750 |
| Successor: | none |
| Sp: | DE |
The Goliath Goli was a pickup truck or panel van built from 1955 to 1961 by the Goliath division of Borgward in Bremen, Germany.[1] It is the successor of the Goliath GD750 and the last German built three-wheeler truck. Only 9,904 vehicles of this model were produced.
With its three wheels and a water-cooled two-cylinder two-stroke engine, the Goliath Goli continued a design principle that had long been a thing of the past for other vehicle manufacturers. Decisive for the use of only three wheels was the vehicle's approximately 30% lower production price. The Goliath Goli incorporated a sophisticated design. The engine was mounted behind the front wheel and provided a low centre of gravity, and the 6.40×13 tires ensured an optimum of stability and drive safety for a freight tricycle. Initially, an air-cooled engine rated 12.5 kW was used, but it had thermal problems. From 1957, a different 465 cm³ engine with water-cooling was used. The power of this engine was 11 kW. It was deemed too weak for a 0.75 t freight vehicle. Maximum torque was only 34 N·m at 2500 rpm. At full load, the vehicle had a power-to-weight ratio of 160 kg/kW. To avoid further bad criticism, Goliath offered replacing the air-cooled engine with a passively thermosiphon-cooled one for free. The Goli had a U-profile ladderframe, a control arm with a quarter elliptical spring for its front wheel, a solid rear axle with progressive leaf springs, a worm drive steering system, a hydraulic three wheel braking system, a parking brake for the rear wheels, and an all-steel cab. The 6 volts electric starter did not have a magnetic switch, instead, it was manually connected to the engine using a hand lever. The Goli's top speed was 60 km/h (37 mph). Fuel consumption was 7.5 l/100 km (31 mpg). Climb rate limit at full load was 23, 12, 7, 3% (depending on the gear). The turning radius is 11 m (36 ft).
The flatbed version was available in a low and a high variant. The lower variant offered a capacity of 6 m³ (211 cft). There was also the full-metal panel van and separated freight box body variant. The vehicles external dimensions of the freight box variant were 2200 × 1460 × 1230 mm (68 × 58 × 9 inch). Depending on body and tires, the payload was 750 to 950 kg (1653 to 2094 lb).[2]