After field trials, the car still needed upgrades to further refine and improve its off-road capability. The ground clearance went up, and the addition of gear reduction hubs and a modified first gear slowed down speed to match the walking pace of infantry. With these changes, the Type 82 was put into mass production in early 1940 with enough time to ramp up production for the invasion of France. Variants of the Type 82 would see service in every front with the Wehrmacht and would serve roles as troop transports, radio and command cars, ambulance, and more. After the war it was left there and the car does have some historical papers showing it was registered in

Type 198: Fitted with a PTO and auxiliary gearbox for starting the engines of armoured fighting vehicles [18] Turn signals have been added to allow it to pass the strict German TUV inspection to make it road legal Type 92/SS: (until April 1943): with interior attachments for fire-arms — from April 1943 deprecated, and known as Type 82/E [16]The early Schwimmwagen, Type 128, borrowed heavily from the Type 82 Kubelwagen for the chassis and power. A watertight hull was integrated into the design for amphibious use and the driveline was upgraded to four-wheel drive to increase off road capabilities. hen compared with 4WD vehicles of the same era, the Kubelwagen’s the 2WD setup handily out-performed them in nearly every test. Most notably, thanks to its smooth, flat underbody, the Kubel would handle like a motorized sled, when its wheels were sinking into sand, snow, or mud. Modern VW Type 82 in a reenacment Variants Type 67: 2-stretcher ambulance (Type 60 chassis + mod Type 82 body)

manufactured include: Boxer - armored fighting vehicle, TPz Fuchs "Fox" - personnel carrier, YAK - armored VW Kommandeurwagen Type 87". Archived from the original on 2 February 2015 . Retrieved 2 February 2015.

a b c d e Carroll, John (17 January 2019). "Industry and Style". Key Military. Archived from the original on 18 February 2022 . Retrieved 18 February 2022. Taylor, Blaine (2004). Volkswagen Military Vehicles of the Third Reich. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-81313-0. OCLC 55534990. replacement a reproduction parts. Original parts were used wherever possible and only a few sheet metal parts Despite not having four-wheel drive, the Kübelwagen excelled off-road thanks to a limited slip differential and extremely low weight. Off-roading was made easier by the Kübelwagen’s flat underbelly. Unlike other four wheel drive vehicles, the Kübelwagen was rear-wheel drive, and could slide over snow or mud, instead of becoming bogged down. It had four gears plus reverse, and top speed was about 50 miles, or 80 kilometers per hour.

Our Models". Intermeccanica. Archived from the original on 25 December 2019 . Retrieved 25 December 2019. Type 82/8: Like regular open Type 82/0 Kübelwagen, but with body made of wood, to save on scarce steel resourcesThe Volkswagen Type 181 is a two-wheel drive, four-door, convertible, manufactured and marketed by Volkswagen from 1968 until 1983. Originally developed for the West German Army, the Type 181 also entered the civilian market as the Kurierwagen (“courier car”) in West Germany, the Trekker (RHD Type 182) in the United Kingdom, the Thing in the United States (1973–74), the Safari in Mexico and South America, and Pescaccia in Italy. Civilian sales ended after model year 1980. The state of US armed forces and their equipment prior to the war was lamentable. Obsolete aircraft, defective torpedoes etc, it would have been impossible for them to join at the start, besides being politically unacceptable. Given the limited time frame, they had to take advantage of the only things they had, manpower, plentiful oil, and production capability, however the equipment was often crude but good enough. No jets, no cruise missiles, no ICBMs, unlike the Germans. 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 said it exhibited no "special brilliance" in design except in details and that "it is suggested that it is not to be regarded as an example of first class modern design to be copied by British industry". [12] 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 Heereswaffenamt officials formally approached Porsche about designing an inexpensive, lightweight military transport vehicle that could operate 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. The Schwimmwagen’s story starts at the same place as the Kubelwagen. The name translates to “Swimming Car” which perfectly encapsulates the intent of the Type 166. The Wehrmacht needed a vehicle that could serve as a go-anywhere reconnaissance car and designer Erwin Komenda took that mission to heart.

The Kübelwagen, thanks to its geared hubs, could go as slow as marching troops 4km/h (2.5mph), yet reach a top speed of 80km/h (50mph). Originally called the Kübelsitzwagen, the name was shortened to Kübelwagen as the Type 82 went into full production at VW factories in February 1940, with only modest modifications being made throughout the war until Germany was defeated in 1945. The biggest change came in 1943 when a new dashboard was introduced and the engine was upgraded from 985cc to 1,131cc by fitting one designed for the Shwimmwagen. EU Titled Liquid Cooled TYP82 Kubelwagen". Intermeccanica. Archived from the original on 25 December 2019 . Retrieved 25 December 2019. Very flat and smooth underbody that allowed the car to slide without snags over the surface it was traversing.In total, Germany produced around 50,000 Type 82s during the war. While this is a far cry from the 650,000+ Jeeps produced on the other side of the conflict, it was more than enough to cement the Type 82’s reputation as a reliable and capable vehicle to both the German soldiers as well as the Allied soldiers who captured them. During the 1960s, several European governments began cooperating on development of a vehicle known as the Europa Jeep, a lightweight, amphibious four-wheel drive vehicle that could be mass-produced for use by various national military and government groups. Even in the Sahara, Rommel’s troops were well served in their Type 82s equipped with 690×200 airplane tires. Air cooling had its obvious benefits wherever stray bullets fly. And the Kübelwagen’s flat smooth belly allowed it to slide over sand, snow or mud. This first experience shown indeed the vehicle was satisfactory but needed some changes as requested by the military: The lowest speed had to be reduced from 8 km/h (5.0 mph) to 4 km/h (2.5 mph) (infantry pace). Off-road performances had to be improved by mounting new axles with gear-reduction hubs, providing more torque and more ground-clearance. Dampers were modified with larger 41 cm (16 in) wheels, and a limited slip differential.