Kübelwagen/Schwimmwagen: A Visual History of the German Army's Multi-Purpose Vehicle (Visual History Series)

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Replacing a fender rather than endlessly re-working a damaged original is often the best way through the task. It isn’t as though the VW wasn’t improved along the way, however, with later versions being identifiable by their longer rear mudguards and folding front tow hooks. Originally called the Kübelsitzwagen, the name was shortened to Kübelwagen as the Type 82 went into full production at VW factories in February 1940, with only modest modifications being made throughout the war until Germany was defeated in 1945. The biggest change came in 1943 when a new dashboard was introduced and the engine was upgraded from 985cc to 1,131cc by fitting one designed for the Shwimmwagen.

One of the Kübelwagen’s most remarkable features was its use of a limited slip differential, the first application ever outside of the legendary thirties Audi GP cars, for which purpose it was first invented. It was the key ingredient (along with the rear engine and light weight) that allowed the VW to be effective off-road without having four wheel drive. In fact, under certain situations, like crossing a trench on the diagonal, a four wheel drive vehicle like the Jeep could potentially get hung up if one wheel on each axle was briefly suspended in the air. Type 331: Prototype fitted for power by a "native fuel system" (acetylene gas) engine (also listed as Type 231) where it remained in his private collection with other WW2 era VWs until being bought by the current owner in Germany.The Kübelwagen's rolling chassis and mechanics were built at what was then the Stadt des KdF-Wagens, ("City of the 'Strength through Joy'-Car") – renamed Wolfsburg after 1945 – and its body was built by U.S.-owned firm Ambi Budd Presswerke in Berlin. [7] The Kübelwagen's role as a light multi-purpose military vehicle made it the German equivalent to the Allied Willys MB "jeep" and the GAZ-67, after previous efforts to mass-produce standardized military four-wheel drives for the Wehrmacht had largely failed. a b c Ludvigsen, Karl (2018). Professor Porsche's Wars. UK: Pen & Sword Books, Ltd. pp.78, 116, 132, 136. ISBN 9781526726797 . Retrieved 14 February 2019. The bodywork, including doors and mudguards, was fashioned from steel by Ambi-Budd Pressewerke. All told, 50,435 were made until 1945.

U.S. War Department, 15 March 1945. Handbook on German Military Forces, TM-E 30-451, Chapter VIII, Section II: Automotive Equipment Full-scale production of the Type 82 Kübelwagen started in February 1940, as soon as the VW factories had become operational. No major changes took place before production ended in 1945, only small modifications were implemented, mostly eliminating unnecessary parts and reinforcing others which had proved unequal to the task. Prototype versions were assembled with four-wheel-drive (Type 86) and different engines, but none offered a significant increase in performance or capability over the existing Type 82, so these designs went nowhere. As of March 1943, the car received a revised dash and the bigger 1,131cc engine, developed for the Schwimmwagen, that produced more torque and power than the original 985cc unit. When Volkswagen production ceased at the end of the war, 50,435 Kübelwagen vehicles had been produced, [8] and the vehicle had proven to be surprisingly useful, reliable, and durable. Mayer-Stein, Dr. Hans-Georg (1993). Volkswagen Militärfahrzeuge 1938–1948 (PDF) (in German). Karl Müller Verlag. ISBN 3860708619 . Retrieved 7 August 2021.Light weight. While it was some 41cm (16in) longer than the Willys MB, it weighed more than 300kg (660lb) less. That’s roughly twice the value of a comparable Willys, according to the owner of this particular example, Salvador Patrício Gouveia. I don’t speak a word of German, other than the clichés, but I often find words in the German language pretty entertaining. See, in the English language, we have the Jeep, and the origin of that word is either a contraction of Ford’s GP vehicle designation, or some untraceable soldiers’ slang. But in the German language, this wouldn’t fly.

BAV-485 * MAZ-543 * GAZ 46 * GAZ 67B * GAZ/UAZ-69 * ZIL-131 * GAZ 66 * KrAZ-214 * KrAZ-255 * KrAZ-260 * KZKT-7428 * MAZ-535 * MAZ-537 * MAZ-7310 * Ural 375 * URAL 4320 * ZIL-135 * ZIL-151 * ZIL-157 * ZIL-157/PR-11M * ZIL-6Willys Jeep CJ series * Jeep M606 * Jeep M38A1 * Jeep M170 * M151 Mutt * M422 Mighty Mite * CJ V-35(/U) * M274 4x4 "Mule" * M37 Series 4x4 "Power Wagon" * M35 Series 6x6 * M54 Series 6x6 * M123/M125 6x6 * M715 series 4x4 * M561 6x6 "Gamma Goat" * M656 Series 8x8 * M880 series 4x4 * M809 series 6x6 * M520 4x4 "Goer" * M915 series 6x4 * M911 C-MET 8x6 * CUCV M1008 4x4 * HMMWV 4x4 * M939 Series 6x6 * HEMTT M977 8x8 After some discussions with him with respect to the possibility of locating an original to copy, it was determined that a restored Kubel was not the same thing as a restored 356. It became clear that the lumps and bumps were part of the restoration charm, but not something we wanted in our reproduction.