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Volkswagen Iltis
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Volkswagen Iltis
The Volkswagen Type 183, more commonly known as the Iltis (German for polecat), is a military light utility vehicle designed and manufactured by Volkswagen in the 1970s-80s for use by the West German military. The vehicle was also produced under licence in Canada by Bombardier Inc. for use by the militaries of Canada and Belgium.
Although the two vehicles were briefly offered simultaneously, the Type 183 effectively replaced the Type 181.
West Germany’s military (the Bundeswehr) had been part of a cooperative effort, beginning in the late 1960s, to create what was dubbed the "Europa Jeep", an amphibious four wheel drive vehicle that could replace the small all-terrain transport vehicles being used by several of the participating governments’ armed forces. With development taking longer than expected, the Bundeswehr requested something inexpensive to be built in small quantities to fill their need for additional small transport vehicles while the Europa Jeep project was still undergoing design research. Volkswagen (VW) responded to the request, designing an updated version of their Kübelwagen and designating it the Type 181. By 1979, the Europa Jeep project had fallen apart completely, the victim of skyrocketing costs and difficult development. Needing a suitable four-wheel drive vehicle to take over the gaps in the Bundeswehr's vehicle fleets that had been designated for the Europa Jeep, the West German government issued requests to several manufacturers to design and build prototype vehicles to be considered for military use.
Prior to the advent of the Type 181, the West German military had purchased several thousand DKW Mungas, a light utility vehicle manufactured by DKW, but the production of the Munga had ended in 1968. Volkswagen had then consolidated the former Auto Union marques, of which DKW was one, into a single company, re-using the Audi name to designate vehicles manufactured by the company rather than continuing to manufacture vehicles under the names of the various brands that had made up the original Auto Union.
Wanting to immediately begin making use of the technologies they had acquired in the Auto Union purchase, VW chose to participate in the competition to provide the next new German military vehicle by creating an evolution of the Munga jeep, which had been out of production for several years by that time. The Bundeswehr were anxious to replace the outdated machine with its two-stroke engine. The resultant prototype combined old technologies with new, and executives decided to badge the product as a VW rather than as an Audi in the hopes that this would help promote positive linking to the existing VW military designs and give them an advantage over their competition.
The vehicle, developed by Audi, featured a variation of the Munga's platform with newly modified suspension components, a four-wheel-drive system based around components from the Audi 100, and a 1.7 litre four-cylinder Volkswagen engine producing 75 PS (55 kW). The design of this four-wheel drive system provided the basis for Audi's quattro system, which debuted four years later, in 1980, on the original Audi Quattro.
The Iltis, as VW was now calling it, passed the German government's tests with ease, and was chosen over the equally competent but more expensive Puch G / Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen. Production began in the summer of 1978 and the first 200 vehicles were delivered in November; by late 1979 approximately 2,000 had been delivered, with 310 vehicles sent to the Luftwaffe (the West German air force) and 20 sent to the West German navy, the Bundesmarine. Most of the vehicles produced were four-doored with open tops; ambulance and other vehicles for use in anti-tank, artillery survey, command and field communications roles with varying body styles were produced in small numbers.
A civilian model was also offered, mostly in West Germany. It was first shown at the 1979 Geneva Motor Show and entered production soon thereafter, originally only with a utilitarian soft top. In 1980 Freddy Kottulinsky and Gerd Löffelmann won the Paris-Dakar Rally in an Audi-prepared Iltis. The civilian Iltis found even fewer takers than the 181 had, largely due to price and its utilitarian nature.
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Volkswagen Iltis
The Volkswagen Type 183, more commonly known as the Iltis (German for polecat), is a military light utility vehicle designed and manufactured by Volkswagen in the 1970s-80s for use by the West German military. The vehicle was also produced under licence in Canada by Bombardier Inc. for use by the militaries of Canada and Belgium.
Although the two vehicles were briefly offered simultaneously, the Type 183 effectively replaced the Type 181.
West Germany’s military (the Bundeswehr) had been part of a cooperative effort, beginning in the late 1960s, to create what was dubbed the "Europa Jeep", an amphibious four wheel drive vehicle that could replace the small all-terrain transport vehicles being used by several of the participating governments’ armed forces. With development taking longer than expected, the Bundeswehr requested something inexpensive to be built in small quantities to fill their need for additional small transport vehicles while the Europa Jeep project was still undergoing design research. Volkswagen (VW) responded to the request, designing an updated version of their Kübelwagen and designating it the Type 181. By 1979, the Europa Jeep project had fallen apart completely, the victim of skyrocketing costs and difficult development. Needing a suitable four-wheel drive vehicle to take over the gaps in the Bundeswehr's vehicle fleets that had been designated for the Europa Jeep, the West German government issued requests to several manufacturers to design and build prototype vehicles to be considered for military use.
Prior to the advent of the Type 181, the West German military had purchased several thousand DKW Mungas, a light utility vehicle manufactured by DKW, but the production of the Munga had ended in 1968. Volkswagen had then consolidated the former Auto Union marques, of which DKW was one, into a single company, re-using the Audi name to designate vehicles manufactured by the company rather than continuing to manufacture vehicles under the names of the various brands that had made up the original Auto Union.
Wanting to immediately begin making use of the technologies they had acquired in the Auto Union purchase, VW chose to participate in the competition to provide the next new German military vehicle by creating an evolution of the Munga jeep, which had been out of production for several years by that time. The Bundeswehr were anxious to replace the outdated machine with its two-stroke engine. The resultant prototype combined old technologies with new, and executives decided to badge the product as a VW rather than as an Audi in the hopes that this would help promote positive linking to the existing VW military designs and give them an advantage over their competition.
The vehicle, developed by Audi, featured a variation of the Munga's platform with newly modified suspension components, a four-wheel-drive system based around components from the Audi 100, and a 1.7 litre four-cylinder Volkswagen engine producing 75 PS (55 kW). The design of this four-wheel drive system provided the basis for Audi's quattro system, which debuted four years later, in 1980, on the original Audi Quattro.
The Iltis, as VW was now calling it, passed the German government's tests with ease, and was chosen over the equally competent but more expensive Puch G / Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen. Production began in the summer of 1978 and the first 200 vehicles were delivered in November; by late 1979 approximately 2,000 had been delivered, with 310 vehicles sent to the Luftwaffe (the West German air force) and 20 sent to the West German navy, the Bundesmarine. Most of the vehicles produced were four-doored with open tops; ambulance and other vehicles for use in anti-tank, artillery survey, command and field communications roles with varying body styles were produced in small numbers.
A civilian model was also offered, mostly in West Germany. It was first shown at the 1979 Geneva Motor Show and entered production soon thereafter, originally only with a utilitarian soft top. In 1980 Freddy Kottulinsky and Gerd Löffelmann won the Paris-Dakar Rally in an Audi-prepared Iltis. The civilian Iltis found even fewer takers than the 181 had, largely due to price and its utilitarian nature.
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