The Champion 250 is a two-seater microcar that Hermann Holbein’s Champion works built in Paderborn from March 1950 to March 1951. It had a rear-mounted 250 cc Triumph two-stroke single, an open body without doors, and it was among the cheapest cars on the German market.
Champion 250 at a glance
| Maker | Champion, Paderborn (Hermann-Holbein-Fahrzeugbau, then Champion-Automobilbau GmbH) |
|---|---|
| Production | March 1950 to March 1951 |
| Predecessor | Champion Ch-2 |
| Body | open two-seater without doors |
| Engine | rear-mounted 250 cc Triumph single-cylinder two-stroke, air-cooled |
| Power | 4.75 kW (6 PS); the two-cylinder version 10 PS |
| Gearbox | three-speed, rear-wheel drive |
| Top speed | 60 km/h single-cylinder, 70 km/h twin; 65 km/h per German sources |
| Dimensions | 285 cm long, 136 cm wide, 128 cm high with roof; wheelbase 180 cm, track 120 cm |
| Weight | 220 to 250 kg; 260 kg kerb weight per German sources |
| Price | DM 2,400 at launch, DM 2,650 for the twin-cylinder version |
| Built | 267 of the 250 and 250 S, March 1950 to March 1951; other sources give 225 or just under 400 |
The Champion 250 has no article of its own in English Wikipedia; this page uses the section on the model in the English article on the Champion marque together with the German Wikipedia article on the 250. Sources differ on the number built.
History of the Champion 250
Origins of the car
The design came from ZF of Friedrichshafen: a two-seater with a rear-mounted single-cylinder 200 cc two-stroke engine, a supercharger, and a three-speed gearbox with a reverse gear despite the car’s low weight. The first prototype was built further south at Herrlingen near Ulm in 1948. It sat on a central steel frame and followed the Volkswagen lay-out of a rear engine, but was smaller and simpler, shaped by the production facilities and materials available in the late 1940s. In 1949 Hermann Holbein, a former BMW engineer known for his work on early post-war racing cars, acquired the production rights, and a year later he introduced the Champion, assembled at the new Champion Automobilwerke plant in Paderborn until 1952.
Champion 250 (1950–1951)
The 250 appeared in March 1950 together with the more powerful Champion 250 S, as the successor to the Champion Ch-2. In December 1950 the Champion-Automobilbau GmbH took over production, which ended in March 1951. Under Holbein’s direction the car used a rear-mounted Triumph (Germany) single-cylinder engine of 250 cc with a claimed 6 PS, or a two-cylinder engine with a stated 10 PS. The single-cylinder version was said to reach 60 km/h and the two-cylinder 70 km/h; German sources quote 65 km/h, 4 litres per 100 km and a 248 cc engine of 4.75 kW.
An intentionally basic car
The specification was minimal. The steel dish wheels were as thin as those of a basic motorcycle and had to be pumped to a relatively high pressure. Hard tyres and almost no shock absorption made the cars strikingly uncomfortable, and above-average agility was needed to get in or out, except in cabriolet versions with the roof open. The engine had to be started with a starting handle, as there was no electric starter motor. The selling price was initially DM 2,400, rising to DM 2,650 for the twin-cylinder version, against DM 5,300 then asked for a Volkswagen Beetle. The number built is given as 225 or just under 400, depending on the source; German Wikipedia counts 267 examples of the 250 and 250 S between March 1950 and March 1951.
Licence production and the end of the marque
The Austrian Automobilfabrik Perl built about 100 examples of the model under licence between 1951 and 1954. The Champion marque itself passed through a succession of owners: production moved from Paderborn to the Hennhöfer plant at Ludwigshafen in 1952, the Dane Henning Thorndahl assembled the cars until October 1954, and in 1955 Maico took over the assets and rebranded the two-seater as the Maico MC 400.
Design and features
- Rear-mounted Triumph two-stroke: a 250 cc single-cylinder engine driving through a three-speed gearbox.
- Minimal body: an open two-seater without doors, built around a central steel frame.
- Low price: DM 2,400 at launch, less than half the DM 5,300 of a Volkswagen Beetle.
- Very light: 220 to 250 kg and only 285 cm long.
- Basic equipment: thin steel dish wheels, hard tyres, no electric starter.
Champion 250 versions
- Champion 250: the single-cylinder 250 cc model with a claimed 6 PS.
- Champion 250 S: the more powerful two-cylinder version with a stated 10 PS, introduced alongside the 250.
- Cabriolet: an open version whose roof could be folded away.
- Perl licence cars: about 100 cars built in Austria between 1951 and 1954.
More cars of the marque are in the Champion collection.
Sources
- Champion (automobile), English Wikipedia: origins, engine, dimensions, price, production numbers
- Champion 250, German Wikipedia: dates, dimensions, power, fuel consumption, production total, Perl licence