Champion

Champion was a small German car manufacturer that originated in the late 1940s, founded by Hermann Holbein, a former BMW engineer and racing driver based in Herrlingen. Holbein built his first prototype in 1946, a compact two-seater roadster measuring around 1,827 mm in length, powered by a rear-mounted 200cc Triumph motorcycle engine and built on a central tubular frame with separate cycle-type wings, unlike the enveloping bodywork of later models.

Production of the first series car ran from 1948 to 1950. This version used either a 250cc single-cylinder Triumph engine producing 6PS or a 10PS two-cylinder unit, again mounted at the rear of a tubular chassis, but with an all-enveloping two-seater roadster body. Approximately 400 examples were built during this period.

The company then introduced the Champion 400, fitted with 400cc Ilo or 450cc Heinkel engines and coupé bodywork supplied by Drauz. This model was manufactured in Paderborn under Champion Automobil GmbH from March 1951 until the end of 1952, with total production reaching 2,052 units.

Manufacturing subsequently relocated to Ludwigshafen, where production was shared between two successive firms. Rheinische Automobilfabrik Hennhofer & Co. built the 400 coupé, producing 1,941 units, while Rheinische Automobilwerke Thorndal & Co. continued coupé production with 284 units and also built 20 examples of a new estate model, the 500G, introduced in 1954 and produced until 1956.

In 1955, production responsibilities passed to the motorcycle manufacturer Maico, which continued to build the estate car alongside newly introduced saloon and convertible variants, marketed under the name Maico-Champion.