Volkswagen Kübelwagen
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| VW type 82 'Kübelwagen' | |
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| Manufacturer | Volkswagen |
| Also called | 'Bucket / Tub Car' |
| Production | 50.435 (1940 - 1945) |
| Assembly | KDF-Stadt (= Wolfsburg) |
| Predecessor | VW type 62 |
| Successor | VW type 181 'Thing' |
| Class | Military Vehicle |
| Body style | 4-door roadster |
| Layout | Rear engined |
| Platform | VW type 1 Kdf-Wagen |
| Engine | aircooled flat-4, 985 cc (23 hp) / 1,131cc (25 hp) |
| Transmission | 4-speed manual; self-locking differential |
| Wheelbase | 240 cm |
| Length | 374 cm |
| Width | 160 cm |
| Height | 165 cm (top up); 111 cm collapsible |
| Ride height | 28 cm (26 cm laden) |
| Curb weight | 715 kg (GVW 1,160 kg) |
| Top Speed | 80 km/h |
| Fuel capacity | 30 l |
| Related | VW 166 'Schwimmwagen' |
| Similar | Willys MB jeep |
The Volkswagen Kübelwagen (bucket/tub car) was a military vehicle designed by Ferdinand Porsche and built by Volkswagen during World War II for use by the German military (both Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS). Based heavily on the Volkswagen Beetle, it was prototyped as the Type 62, but eventually became known internally as the Type 82.
With its rolling chassis and mechanics built at at KDF Stadt (now Wolfsburg) and its body built by US owned firm Ambi Budd in Berlin[1], the Kübelwagen was to the Germans what the jeep was to the Allies.
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[edit] History
Although Adolf Hitler discussed with Ferdinand Porsche the possibility of military application of the Volkswagen as early as April 1934, it wasn't until January 1938, that high ranking Third Reich army officials formally approached Porsche about designing an inexpensive, light-weight military transport vehicle that could be operated reliably both on- and off-road in even the most extreme conditions, suggesting that the Beetle could provide the basis for such a vehicle.
Porsche began work on the project immediately, having a prototype of the vehicle ready within the month, but realized during development that it wouldn't be enough to reinforce the Beetle's chassis to handle the stresses that military use would put on it. In order to guarantee adequate off-road performance of a two-wheel driven vehicle with a 1,000 cc engine, it would have to be light-weight. In fact, the army had stipulated a laden weight of 950 kg including four battle-dressed troops, which meant that the vehicle itself should not weigh more than 550 kg. Porsche therefore sub-contracted Trutz, an experienced military coachbuilder to help out with the body design.
Developmental testing by the military began after a presentation of the prototypes designated as Type 62 in November of 1938. Despite lacking four wheel drive, a mainstay of the American military jeeps, 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 green light for further development. The vehicle's light weight and ZF self-locking differential compensated for the lack of 4X4 capabilities.
Further development of the Type 62 took place during 1939, including a more angular body design; and pre-production models were field-tested in the invasion of Poland, that started in september that year. Despite their overall satisfaction with the vehicle's performance, military commanders demanded that a few important changes be made: the lowest speed of the vehicle had to be reduced from 8 km/h to 4 km/h as an adjustment to the pace of marching soldiers. Secondly it needed some improvement of its off road ability. Porsche responded to both requests by mounting new axles with gear-reduction hubs, providing the car with more torque and more ground-clearance all at once[2]. Revised shocks, 16-inch wheels and a limited slip differential, as well as countless small modifications completed the specification. In order to reflect the changes, the vehicle was re-named Type 82.
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 until production ended in 1945, only small modifications were implemented—mostly eliminating unnecessary parts. 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 and the designs were never implemented. As of March 1943, the car received a revised dash and the bigger 1,131 cc engine of the Schwimmwagen that produced more torque than the original 985 cc unit. When Volkswagen production ceased at the end of the war, more than 50,000 Kübelwagen vehicles had been produced[3] and the vehicle had proven itself to be surprisingly useful, reliable and durable.
VW resurrected the basic Kübelwagen design several decades after the war as the 1969 Type 181, developed for the German Federal Armed Forces and later also produced for the civilian market known as "Thing" in the US, "Trekker" in the UK and "Safari" in Mexico. Although similar in looks and design, hardly any parts were interchangeable with the type 82.
[edit] Technology and performance
When the German military took delivery of the first vehicles, they immediately put them to the test on- and off-road in snow and ice to test their capability at handling European winters; several four-wheel-drive vehicles were used as reference points. The two-wheel drive Kübelwagen surprised even those who had been a part of its development, as it handily out-performed the other vehicles in nearly every test. Most notably - thanks to its smooth, flat underbody—the Kübel would propel itself much like a motorised sled when its wheels were sinking into sand, snow or mud, allowing it to follow tracked vehicles with remarkable tenacity.
In November of 1943, the American military conducted a series of tests as well on several Type 82's they had captured in North Africa; they concluded that the vehicle was simpler, easier to manufacture and maintain, faster, and more comfortable for four passengers than the American Jeeps.
Among the design features that contributed to the Kübelwagen's performance were:
- Light weight - although over a foot longer than the Willys MB, it was over 300 kg (some 700 lb) lighter
(actually, the car was even lighter than the smallest US military jeep to date: the M422 'Mighty Mite') - Very flat and smooth underbody, that allowed the car to slide over the surface it was traversing, if need be
- Serious ground clearance - roughly 28 cm (11 in)—in part thanks to:
- The use of portal gear hub reduction, providing more torque and ride height simultaneously
- Independent suspension on all four wheels
- Self-locking differential, limiting slippage and retaining traction
Apart from that the air-cooled engine proved highly tolerant of hot and cold climates, and naturally invulnerable to bullet holes in the absence of a radiator. Only for starting under winter conditions, a specially volatile starting fuel was required, contained in a small auxiliary fuel tank.
Also the body of the vehicle could easily be modified to special purposes, since it was no load-bearing part of the structure of the vehicle.
[edit] Body variants
The following body types and variants of the Type 82 were produced:
Type 820 basic four seater
Type 821 three seater (Radio car, light workshop car)
Type 822 Sirencar (Siemens motordriven siren mounted in place of the rear seat)
Type 823 reinforced chassis with mock-up armoured vehicle
Type 825 pick-up body with open load bed
Type 826 Panel van for the Africa Corps
Type 827 (Type 92 SS) Command car made up of a Type 82 chassis, fitted with a Beetle body and roll-up canvas roof. These three-seaters had a co-drivers seat with fully reclining backrest for the commander.
Type 828 like Type 820 but body made of wood
Type 82E Kübelwagen chassis with regular Beetle body (688 manufactured)
Type 86 all-wheel drive prototype (6 fabricated)
Type 87 'Kommandeurwagen' type 86 AWD Kübelwagen chassis with type 827 Beetle Command car body. A small amount were made and some were provided to preferred officers, who could push through virtually any kind of terrain with these superior command vehicles (667 produced)[4]
Type 155 half-track prototype (never produced)
Type 157 Railway car
Type 239 fitted wit wood gas generator in the nose
[edit] About the name
The German Kübelwagen is an abbreviation, fully pronounced: Kübelsitzwagen, AKA bucket-seat car.
[edit] Images
 1943 Kübelwagen 25hp 1131cc |
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