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The difficulty in finding a name
Back then it must have been very hectic in the Goggomobil factory: In 1955, the Goggomobil, the T250 sedan was introduced. The "T" was probably just short for "type" (?) and the following numbers were the displacement of the motor in cc. Just one year later, the coupe came with the letters TS (TS = type sport?) and shortly thereafter the van TL (TL = type loader?) was introduced.
In Dingolfing there was obviously little time to worry about a name, because by 1957 the public would again be presenting with a new model. Also this car remained nameless for now, it was simply called "The Large Goggomobil" - a term that was willingly accepted by the media.
The time until the start of the production however was used to come up with a name. Quote: "When a lot of heads start thinking you get a lot of different ideas and since the design team of the larger Goggomobil could not reach an agreement on how to name the "new child" it was decided, unanimously, to call for a family contest. This was done in the form of a prize competition." There was little time and just under 10 days and 4,000 entries the competition was ended in the middle of June 1958. 1,000 different names were looked at, evaluated and categorized. At the end the following names in this order emerged as the winners:
1. Senior 2. Delphin (German for Dolphin) 3. Isar 4. Mikado and 5. Dingo.
Quote: "Only the gods will know if this really were the best names, but this order followed the principle of majority. Now the jury asked themselves which of these names should they choose as the winner. "Senior" certainly was not right for such a young and lively vehicle and the name Delphin made them uncomfortable since it nearly sounded the same as a foreign vehicle (Renault Dauphine). In short, faults were found on each one of these names but at the end "Isar" won the race. "
But the jury did not prevail. Their work and the work of the participants in this contest was (tentatively) for nothing. The sales brochures were printed and there was no turning back. When production started in August 1958, the large Goggomobil, based on the description of its smaller brothers/sisters, was simply named "T600" or "T700". The factory magazine "Goggomobil" asked its readers to show understanding. "Names are just smoke and mirrors. If you will be asked what kind of car you drive, so you will simply answer: A Goggomobil 600. Perhaps you will even be shorter and answer in full awareness of your recommendation: I drive a "T600." There is no name, just a label, as it is common in the automotive industry and which has propelled many other particularly good cars to glory." (did they attempt here to establish a mental link to the nomenclature of the Mercedes?)
One year passed. Did the competing vehicles with the more or less illustrious names, like Alexander, Junior, Jagst or Prince cause a rethink in Dingolfing? Or was it the fact that the models 'T600/700' had been thoroughly revised and that one wanted to inform the public of this with a new model name? In any case, after the summer vacation in 1959, the cars were officially renamed to "Goggomobil Isar". (But the names T600/700 remained as an additional identifier.)
In subsequent years, the Goggomobil name was omitted more and more - nothing should remind the public of the little, smelly and rattling two-stroke engine, the actual Goggomobil. They spoke only of the Isar. But only in 1963 was the brand identity officially removed. The Isar was "knighted" and lifted with it to a higher-value state of automobiles from Dingolfing. From now on, it was called, the "GLAS Isar." With this it became and remained the only vehicle in the GLAS automobile factory with a unique name.
(The passages in italics are quotes from the magazine "Goggomobil", Issue are 7 / 1958.)