The Volkswagen Type 82 Kübelwagen is a military light utility vehicle designed by Ferdinand Porsche and built by Volkswagen during World War II. It was used by the Nazi German military (both Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS). Based heavily on the Volkswagen Beetle, the prototype, model 62, was first deployed in Poland. After improvements, it entered full-scale production as the type 82 Kübelwagen in February 1940. No major changes took place before 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, so these designs were scraped. As of March 1943, the car received a revised dash and the bigger 1,131 cc engine that produced more torque and power than the original 985 cc unit. When Volkswagen production ceased at the end of the war, over 50,400 Kübelwagen vehicles had been produced and the vehicle had proven to be surprisingly useful, reliable, and durable.
