Typewriter models•Model guide
The Groma Kolibri
The flattest of the portables. Four centimetres thick when closed, a silhouette nobody has redone since, and a typing feel that surprises everyone.
A feat of East German engineering
The Kolibri came out of the Groma works in Markersdorf, Saxony, in the mid-1950s, in the German Democratic Republic. Its brief came down to one word: slimness. Closed, it is about four centimetres thick, making it the flattest portable ever produced in series.
That thinness is no gimmick. The mechanism was entirely rethought to fit in that height, which explains both the machine’s rarity and the price it reaches today. A more finished Luxus version was produced in parallel.
What it feels like to type on
You expect a demonstration piece, and you find a real typewriter. The strike is short, precise, surprisingly stable for such a flat object. The keyboard is low, almost at table level, and it’s a particular sensation you don’t forget.
You have to accept what slimness imposes: no frills, just the essentials. It is a travelling writer’s machine before it is a desk machine.
Which Kolibri to choose?
Colours range from grey to green depending on the series, and the Luxus version is recognisable by its finish. The condition of the cover matters more than on other machines: on an object this flat, the slightest deformation shows.
The keyboard deserves special attention. Made in the GDR, the Kolibri is very often QWERTZ. AZERTY examples exist but are rarer, and we always state it on the listing.
What we check at the workshop
- Body dismantled and the segment fully cleaned, where the typebars bind.
- Axles degreased and relubricated, strike and line spacing adjusted.
- Carriage check: travel, return, end-of-line ratchet.
- Condition of the rubber platen, often hardened with age.
- New ribbon fitted, then a full page typed, letter by letter.
The right ribbon
Every machine leaves with a new ribbon fitted. The day it needs changing, we sell the ribbons that suit this model: not all spools fit.
The questions we get about the Groma Kolibri
How much does a restored Groma Kolibri cost?
The price depends on the series, the colour and the rarity of the example, never on the quality of the overhaul: they all go through the same workshop. The machines available right now, with their exact price, are just below.
Does the Groma Kolibri come in AZERTY?
Yes. Like almost all machines of that period, the Groma Kolibri was made for several markets: AZERTY for France and Belgium, QWERTY for English- and Spanish-speaking countries, QWERTZ for Germany and Switzerland. The layout is mechanical, engraved in the typebars: it can’t be changed afterwards. The keyboard is therefore stated in the title of each machine and on its listing.
Is it ready to type on delivery?
Yes. Every Groma Kolibri is taken apart, its segment cleaned typebar by typebar, its axles degreased and relubricated, its strike and line spacing adjusted. A new ribbon is fitted, then we type a whole page before dispatch. It arrives ready to write, with nothing to buy.
Which ribbon for a Groma Kolibri?
The ribbon is the only consumable, and it is changed once or twice a year depending on how much you write. Not all spools fit: we sell those that suit the Groma Kolibri, and each machine’s listing gives the right reference.
Our Groma Kolibri typewriters available now
2 exemplaires actuellement restaurés et prêts à écrire. Chacun est une pièce unique.
