Torpedo · c. 1950s–1964
Typical used$400–$650
The Torpedo 18 is the classic postwar portable from Torpedo-Werke of Frankfurt-Rödelheim, a company that had been controlled by Remington Rand since 1931 while keeping its own brand. The Model 18 family (18, 18a, 18b) was built in Frankfurt until Remington moved typewriter production to the Netherlands around 1964; the Rödelheim factory closed in 1966. The late 18b was also sold with Remington Rand badges, and one listing in our snapshot was badged Blue Bird. Collectors rate the 18's action and build alongside the best German portables. Most listings ship from Europe: in late 2026 about 11 were on eBay, most at $400–650 delivered, with working machines starting around $305.
Buying guide
From Sep 25, 2026 listings
11 Torpedo 18s are listed, most at $400–650 delivered, and most ship from Europe, so shipping of $32–165 matters. The 18b was also sold with Remington Rand branding, since Remington Rand controlled Torpedo from 1931, and one listing is badged Blue Bird. Working machines start around $305 delivered, and the cased Remington Rand 18b at about $357 is the value buy. Nothing is sold as serviced. Red flags: two zero-feedback sellers, including the priciest 18b at about $707, and a 1949 needs-work machine priced only $67 below a working one.
A Torpedo 18 Classic listed as working, $305 delivered ($230 plus $75 shipping), Buy It Now, from a 100% seller — about $95 under the band's low end. The title is cut off at the year, so ask for the serial number, a typed sample, and how it will be packed.
Working typewriter Torpedo 18 Classic - Working vintage typewriter 196
A Remington Rand-badged 18b with its case, about $357 delivered ($325 plus $32 shipping) with Best Offer from a 99.5% seller — below the $400–650 band. The cut-off title ends 'Wor…', likely 'Working'; confirm that and ask for a typed sample.
Vintage Torpedo 18b Typewriter Remington Rand West Germany w/ Case Wor
The lowest-risk 18 here: working per a 100% seller, at the lowest total of $305 delivered. It isn't serviced, so ask when it was last cleaned and whether the platen is hard; even with a specialist clean it comes in under most listings.
Working typewriter Torpedo 18 Classic - Working vintage typewriter 196
A 1957 18B in two-color paint, $560 delivered ($395 plus $165 shipping) with Best Offer from a 100% seller. Two-tone Torpedos are uncommon and the total sits inside the band, though shipping is steep. Ask for a typed sample and how it will be packed.
Rare! TORPEDO 18B Typewriter TWO-COLOR 1957 Schreibmaschine Machine A
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Sep 25, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ — eBay shows your exact total before you buy.
Snapshot
8 of 11 listed
Snapshot captured — listings may have ended
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Sep 25, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ — eBay shows your exact total before you buy.
UsedWorking typewriter Torpedo 18 Classic - Working vintage typewriter 196
$230.00 + $75.00 shipping
Buy It Now$230.00
Good buy
Working per a 100% seller; lowest total at $305 delivered.
Seller: czup_75
100% positive from 59 ratings
UsedVintage Torpedo 18b Typewriter Remington Rand West Germany w/ Case Wor
$325.00 + $31.69 shipping
Buy It Now$325.00
This seller takes offers, and sellers often accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Good buy
Remington Rand badge, West German, with the case, about $357 delivered.
Seller: flipwithnero
99.5% positive
UsedRare! TORPEDO 18B Typewriter TWO-COLOR 1957 Schreibmaschine Machine A
$395.00 + $165.00 shipping
Buy It Now$395.00
This seller takes offers, and sellers often accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Good buy
Two-color 1957 18B, $560 delivered; $165 of that is shipping.
Seller: antiguedades_elpienna
100% positive from 2.6K ratings
For partsAntique 1949 VTG Torpedo 18 German Typewriter NO CASE Needs Work
$199.95 + $38.25 shipping
Buy It Now$199.95
This seller takes offers, and sellers often accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Our take
1949, no case, needs work, about $238 delivered — only $67 under the working $305 Classic, so not a bargain.
Seller: bookorders-pdbooks
99.9% positive
UsedTYPEWRITER TORPEDO 18 / SAFE SHIPPING /AUCTIONS FROM RETROSFERA / 打字机
$329.00 + $69.00 shipping
Buy It Now$329.00
Our take
About $398 delivered, Buy It Now. Bare listing; ask for a typed sample.
Seller: retro_technika
100% positive from 88 ratings
UsedVtg 1963 Remington Rand Torpedo 18b Typewriter With Case Great Conditi
$499.99 + $74.90 shipping
Buy It Now$499.99
Our take
1963 Remington Rand 18b with its case, great condition per the seller, about $575 delivered.
Seller: djurdjurastore
99% positive
Used1954 Blue Bird (Torpedo) 18b Typewriter with Case - Tested!
$300.00 + $138.84 shipping
Buy It Now$300.00
This seller takes offers, and sellers often accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Heads-up: check the seller
Blue Bird-badged 18b, tested per the listing, but the seller has zero feedback.
Seller: kaython67
no feedback yet
Used1963/4 Remington Rand Torpedo 18b Typewriter With Case. Serial number:
$550.00 + $156.88 shipping
Buy It Now$550.00
This seller takes offers, and sellers often accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Heads-up: check the seller
Zero-feedback seller asking about $707 delivered — the top of the range.
Seller: ar9946
no feedback yet
Prices and availability change daily. The full, current search on eBay shows every matching listing, including new ones since Sep 25, 2026.
See all current listings on eBay →Manual typewriters here are 50–80 years old; the same condition badge means different things at that age than on a 2-year-old electronic. Use this as a translation key when you read listings.
New / new-old-stock
Vanishingly rare on a manual typewriter — most surviving units are 50+ years old. A "new" listing here usually means a late-production unit (e.g. a 1990s Olivetti Lettera 32 still sealed in factory packaging) or a seller misusing the badge. Verify the listing photos show the original packaging and factory ribbon spool; treat the price premium with skepticism unless those check out.
Refurbished / serviced
The body has been through a CLA (clean / lubricate / adjust) by a typewriter specialist — segment re-lubed, platen tested or re-covered, draw band re-tensioned, type slugs cleaned, key linkages freed. Expect a $100–250 premium over an unserviced "used" equivalent; the listing should name the shop (Gramercy, Cambridge, WordsAreWinged, etc.) or include a service receipt. Highest-confidence buy for a writer who wants to type the day it arrives.
Used — tested / working
The realistic ceiling for most listings. Body types, carriage returns, escapement advances, shift works, ribbon advances. Cosmetic wear is normal. Look for "tested with fresh ribbon" (best), "tested — types all letters" (fine), plus a stated return window — anything short of that drifts toward "for parts." Platen rubber often still hardened on a "used — tested" body; budget $150–250 for a re-cover if you plan to type long-form on it.
For parts / not working
Sold as-is with no functional guarantee. Common project-typewriter failure modes: hardened platen, gummed segment (sticky keys), broken draw band, missing case, broken bell, dirty type slugs. Buy only to harvest components for another body, donate to a tech for spares, or accept the gamble of a $100–300 specialist CLA on top. The cheapest path to a typing body is almost always a "used — tested" listing, not "for parts" plus a service bill.
The ribbon, brush, platen fluid, and oil a body off eBay almost never ships with. The ribbon link is matched to Group 1 universal — the wrong spool is the easiest way to lose a typewriter purchase on the consumable.
Ribbon — Group 1 universal (most postwar portables)
Search on AmazonType slug cleaner brush
Search on AmazonPlaten rejuvenation fluid
Search on AmazonLight machine oil (segment + rails)
Search on AmazonReplacement rubber feet
Search on AmazonCheck for a typed sample and the keyboard layout, since most are European. Remington-badged 18bs are the same machine and often cheaper. Old lubricant in the segment and escapement is the usual problem. Check the platen, the carriage travel and the case. Brand-specific parts are harder to find than Olympia parts, so favour a complete machine. Two listings in our snapshot came from zero-feedback sellers, including the priciest 18b.
Some sources date the first Model 18 to the late 1930s with postwar production from 1949; oz.Typewriter places the classic 18 in the mid-1950s. Production years are approximate spans compiled from collector references (the Typewriter Database, oz.Typewriter, Ted Munk's and Richard Polt's typewriter pages). Individual machines are dated by serial number: look the serial up on the Typewriter Database's serial-number page for this brand rather than trusting a seller's stated year.