Volkswagen Kübelwagen The Volkswagen Kübelwagen ( literally translated as " bucket car " , for its resemblance to a metal bathtub on wheels ) was a light 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 Stadt des KdF - Wagens ( renamed Wolfsburg after 1945 ) , and its body built by US - owned firm Ambi Budd Presswerke in Berlin , the " Kübelwagen " was for the Germans what the jeep was for the Allies . History . Although 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 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 . This implied 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 would not 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 - drive vehicle with a 1 , 000 cc FMCV 1 engine , it would have to be lightweight . In fact , the army had stipulated a laden weight of including four battle - dressed troops , which meant that the vehicle itself should not weigh more than . 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 1938 . Despite lacking four wheel drive , a mainstay of the American military Jeep s , the vehicle proved very competent at maneuvering its way over rough terrain , even in a direct comparison with a contemporary standard German army 4×4 , and the project was given the green light for further development . The vehicle ' s light weight and ZF self - locking differential compensated for the lack of 4×4 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 to 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 . Revised dampers , wheels and a limited slip differential , as well as countless small modifications completed the specification . In order to reflect the changes , the vehicle was renamed 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 before production ended in 1945 , only small modifications were implemented — mostly eliminating unnecessary parts and reinforcing some 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 and the designs were never implemented . As of March 1943 , the car received a revised dash and the bigger 1 , 131 cc engine developed for the " Schwimmwagen " that produced more torque and power than the original 985 cc unit . When Volkswagen production ceased at the end of the war , 50 , 435 " Kübelwagen " vehicles had been produced , and the vehicle had proven itself to be surprisingly useful , reliable , and durable . Long after the end of the war , VW resurrected the basic " Kübelwagen " design 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 , almost no parts were interchangeable with the Type 82 . 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 1943 , the U . S . military conducted a series of tests as well on several Type 82s 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 U . S . Jeeps . This statement is at odds with U . S . War Department Technical Manual TM - E 30 - 451 , " Handbook on German Military Forces " , dated 15 March 1945 . In this manual ( p . 416 ) , it states " The Volkswagen , the German equivalent of the U . S . " Jeep " , is inferior in every way except in the comfort of its seating accommodations . " At the same time , another " Kübelwagen " also captured in North Africa had been dissected in Britain by engineers of the Humber Car Company , whose report was equally unfavourable and dismissive . Among the design features that contributed to the " Kübelwagen " s performance were : Apart from that the air - cooled engine proved highly tolerant of hot and cold climates , and less vulnerable to bullets due to the absence of a radiator . For starting under winter conditions , a specially volatile starting fuel was required , contained in a small auxiliary fuel tank . As the body was not a load - bearing part of the structure of the vehicle , it could easily be modified to special purposes . The " Kübelwagen " could reach a top speed of . Body variants . The following body types and variants of the Type 82 were produced :