| European Typewriters / Germany / Optima The Optima line is well known as the GDR-based operation which resulted from the split of Olympia following the Second World War. |
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| OPTIMA M10 Tilman Elster collection This is the post-war Optima standard machine, dressed in a very businesslike trim. Serial 4790, produced 1950. |
| OPTIMA M10 Tilman Elster collection M10 produced a few years later, with serial 120348. |
| OPTIMA M12 Tilman Elster collection An Optima in the color and style most familiar to those today. Note the chrome "Optima" name on the front, and the chrome trim bead around the ribbon cover. Duplicated on the contemporary Optima Elite portable (Will Davis collection) seen in small view. |
| OPTIMA M16 Tilman Elster collection This machine is thought to be the last of this line to be built, although it should be noted that the Indian-built GODREJ PRIMA was built to its design for a brief period, and later developed on its own. This machine dates to the late 1960's or early 1970's and has serial 434924. |
| OPTIMA PORTABLE Tilman Elster collection Included for interest is this Optima Portable. Some readers will be quick to note that it appears very much like the late 1960's ERIKA portables -- because that is exactly what this is. The Optima portable had been dropped by the time this machine was built, but the brand name was applied to the Erika machine for a time. Serial 6874111. |