We have two exciting new vehicles here at Armourgeddon to tell you all about with their checkered histories with the German military through WWII.

The first is a Kübelwagen. Literally translated a Kübelwagen is a ‘bucket car.’ To us, it’s more of an upturned tin bath on wheels. Designed to be very light, the Kübelwagen was the invention of Ferdinand Porsche, fabricated by Volkswagen for the German military during World War II. Deployed to both the Wehrmacht and Waffen SS- the armed wing of the Nazi Party’s Schutzstaffel better known as the SS translated as ‘Protective Squadron’ the design is based on the VW Beetle.

The name is a shortened version of the Type 62 prototype named the Kübelsitzwagen meaning ‘bucket-seat car.’ All German light military vehicles without doors were fitted with bucket seats to ensure that passengers didn’t fall out. Although there is evidence of discussions between Porsche and Hitler as early as April 1934, it’s not until January 1938 that the army officials approached Porsche with a brief for a light weight vehicle that could be reliably operated both on and off-road.

Despite the lack of 4-wheel drive mechanics that the backbone of US and Allied jeeps, the vehicle was able to move well over difficult terrain. With a lowest speed at 2.5 mph to match the pace of marching soldiers, production began in February 1940 of the Type 82. Production ended in 1945 with only a few minor changes to the Type 82. Prototype versions with 4×4 mechanics were created, but they offered no real performance improvement and so the changes were never implemented.

Since the end of WWII, the Kübelwagen was resurrected as Type 181 for the German Federal Armed Forces and later for the general market- now referred to as the Trekker.

Our Kübelwagen has been tracked back to Czechoslovakia and is peppered with bullet holes having seen active service in 1944. However, prior to arrival at Armourgeddon this particular vehicle was a star of the big screen, as the very vehicle used by Tom Cruise in the film Valkyrie. That adds to the star-studded cast who are at home here, with vehicles featuring in the blockbusters Evita, Saving Private Ryan, Fury, The Man from U.N.C.L.E to name but a few. It’s just as well vehicles don’t have egos or riders!

Our second new arrival is a 1938 Zündapp KS600 motorbike and Steib BW38 sidecar. The first Zündapp model was the Z22 produced in 1921 by the major German motorcycle producers based in Nuremberg owned by Fritz Neumeyer. Our KS600 is one of the original vehicles off production, has a 28 horsepower horizontally opposed twin cylinder motor with overhead valves displacing 597cc.

The Beiwagen 1938 sidecar model supplied solely to the Wehrmacht (the unified German armed forces from 1935-1946), places this particular model at the hands of the active German forces during WWII.

Linking our two new vehicles together, from 1931, a unification between Zündapp and Ferdinand Porsche created the prototype Auto für Jedermann or ‘car for everyone’ which was the first time the name Volkswagen was used.

After falling into bankruptcy, the Chinese Xunda Motor Company bought the entire company and intellectual property of Zündapp. Production continues today but has now turned to Honda 4-stroke motorcycles and electric mopeds.

Our KS600 is in need of complete restoration with the sidecar in a dreadful state of repair. However, it is in the very capable hands of our team here at Armourgeddon and we will be back to re-visit it once the repairs are complete. This one may well be a labour of love!

See more in our Military Vehicle Museum