Typewriter Talk / Torpedo 18 and Olympia SM-3

**Posted by keystriker** 21-4-2025 13:29:46

Someone on another forum posted a photo of their Torpedo 18 (I think it was an 18b), and someone else pointed out that it looked almost exactly like an Olympia SM-3. They asked about any possible relationship between the respective manufacturers. Both were made in Germany. I believe that the Torpedo has a basket shift, and the SM-3 a carriage shift, or at least that's what I read on my phone. (My phone knows everything, but sometimes it lies.) The Torpedo was marketed by Remington.

**Posted by keystriker** 22-4-2025 12:39:07

Nobody? Anybody?

**Posted by Eagle** 22-4-2025 15:54:15

Yes, these two typewriters do have a very similar styling and a similar nice chrome trim. Under the hood the look quite different (My impression by looking at photos from classified ads). I don't own any of them.
I don't think the two manufacturers had any kind of partnership. Olympia was the bigger one - in the late 1950s they had five times more employees than Torpedo. And the Olympia company had more commercial success and lasted longer til the early 1990s in contrast to Torpedo which was defunct by the late 1960s.

-Rainer (Triumph-Adler employee a long time ago)

**Posted by keystriker** 23-4-2025 09:43:08

Thank you!

**Posted by Pete E.** 27-4-2025 07:10:22

Keystriker,

Torpedo got taken-over by Remington and in the later part of 1964, the German factory was shut down and Remington moved the Torpedo production to Holland.

Here is my 1964 Torpedo 18s made in the early part of 1964 and still made in Germany. The back panels says " Remington - Rand Made In West Germany ".

But Remington had already began to make their changes to my Torpedo...i.e. plastic ribbon cover, the "coffee cup" shaped key-tops that Remington was using, and the unique ribbon spools that Remington was so fond of.

Eventually Remington dropped the "Torpedo" name on the machines and more and more of the Torpedo mechanicals disappeared.
.

**Posted by keystriker** 27-4-2025 19:02:59

Thanks. I also found out (https://oztypewriter.blogspot.com/2012/02/torpedo-typewriters.html) that part of Torpedo’s early demise may well have been due to its factory getting bombed in WWII.