![]() ![]() Despite lacking four wheel drive, the vehicle proved very competent at maneuvering its way over rough terrain, even in a direct comparison with a contemporary standard German Army 4x4, and the project was given the green light for further development. Porsche therefore sub-contracted Trutz, an experienced military coachbuilder, to help out with the body design.ĭevelopmental testing by the military began after a presentation of the prototypes designated as Type 62 in November 1938. In fact, the army had stipulated a gross weight of 950 kg (2,090 lb), including four battle-dressed troops, which meant that the vehicle itself should not weigh more than 550 kg (1,210 lb). In order to guarantee adequate off-road performance of a two-wheel-drive vehicle with a 1,000 cc FMCV 1 engine, it would have to be lightweight. Porsche began work on the project immediately, having a prototype of the vehicle ready within the month, but realized during development that it would not be enough to just reinforce the Beetle's chassis to handle the stresses that military use would place on it. ![]() This implied that the Beetle could provide the basis for such a vehicle. 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.Īlthough Adolf Hitler discussed with Ferdinand Porsche the possibility of military application of the Volkswagen as early as April 1934, it was not until January 1938 that high-ranking Heereswaffenamt officials formally approached Porsche about designing an inexpensive, lightweight military transport vehicle that could operate reliably both on- and off-road, in even the most extreme conditions. 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. Besides the Volkswagen plant, Mercedes-Benz, Opel, and Tatra also built Kübel(sitz)wagen, though they were all rear-wheel drive models only. : 136 Despite later acquiring doors, and more regular, lower seats, the name " Kübelwagen" was retained. : 78 The first Porsche Type 62 test vehicles had no doors and were therefore fitted with bucket seats as Kübelsitzwagen, later shortened to Kübelwagen. This body style had first been developed by Karosseriefabrik N. Before the war, this term became popular in Germany for light open-topped cross-country and military field cars without doors, because these were typically equipped with bucket seats to help keep occupants on board, necessary in an era before the adoption of seat belts. Kübelwagen is a contraction of Kübelsitzwagen, meaning "bucket-seat car". The rear bench would seat three in a pinch, for a total of five inside. ![]() Easily seating four men, the 725 kg (1,600 lb) empty weight Kübel was easier to lift than the 300 kg (660 lb) heavier jeep. The Kübelwagen was intended to be able to be manhandled by its crew when they got stuck. ![]() The Type 86 performed better in comparative testing, but the additional costs of the more complex four-wheel drivetrain (both financial, as well as making the light car heavier and thirstier) did not outweigh the benefits from the German viewpoint. The four-wheel drivetrain that was prototyped in the rejected Type 86 version went into mass production in the Schwimmwagen. Several derivative models, such as the Kommandeurswagen, were also built in hundreds, or in dozens. Based heavily on the Volkswagen Beetle, it was prototyped and first deployed in Poland as the Type 62, but following improvements entered full-scale production as the Type 82. info)), or simply Kübel, contractions of the original German word Kübelsitzwagen (translated: 'bucket-seat car' - but when the contractions are translated literally a back-formation of 'bucket' or 'tub'-car results), is a military light utility vehicle designed by Ferdinand Porsche and built by Volkswagen during World War II for use by the Nazi German military (both Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS).The Volkswagen Type 82 Kübelwagen ( listen ( help ![]()
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