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Volkswagen Iltis

The Volkswagen Type 183, more commonly known as the Iltis (German for polecat),[3] is a military vehicle built by Volkswagen for use by the German military. The Iltis was formerly built under licence in Canada by Bombardier Inc.[4]

Volkswagen Iltis
TypeLight utility vehicle
Place of originGermany
Service history
Used bySee Operators
Production history
ManufacturerVolkswagen
Bombardier Inc.
Produced1978–1988
No. built9,547 built[1]
Specifications
Mass1,300 kg (2,900 lb)
Length3,880 mm (153 in)
 length2,020 mm (80 in)

Main
armament
MG3, FN MAG or M2 Browning machine guns [2]
Engine
TransmissionFront engine, four wheel drive
References

Although the two vehicles were briefly offered simultaneously, the Type 183 effectively replaced the Type 181.

History edit

The German military 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. With development taking longer than expected, the German military requested for 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 responded to the request, designing an updated version of their Kübelwagen and designating it the Type 181. But 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 spots that had been designated for the Europa Jeep, the German government issued requests to several manufacturers to design and build prototype vehicles to be considered for military use.

Prior to the advent of Type 181, the German military had purchased several thousand vehicles of the Munga, a light jeep manufactured by DKW, but the production of the Munga had ended in 1968. Volkswagen had then consolidated the former Auto Union marques 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.

 
Rear view of the Iltis

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 this time. The German armed forces were anxious to replace the outdated two-stroke machine.[5] 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.

 
Paris-Dakar Rally winner of 1980

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).[5] 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. Earlier that year, Freddy Kottulinsky and Gerd Löffelmann had won the Paris-Dakar Rally in an Audi-prepared Iltis.

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 Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen. Production began in the summer of 1978 and the first 200 units were delivered in November; by late 1979 approximately 2,000 units had been delivered with 310 units sent to the Luftwaffe and 20 sent to the German Navy. Although most of the units produced were four-doored with open tops, ambulance, anti-tank, artillery survey, command and field communications units with varying body styles were produced in small numbers.

A civilian model was also offered, mostly in Germany. It was first shown at the 1979 Geneva Motor Show and entered production soon thereafter, originally only with a utilitarian soft top.[5] The civilian Iltis found even fewer takers than the 181 had, largely due to price and its utilitarian nature.

Bombardier Iltis edit

 
A former Canadian Forces Iltis at the Canadian Forces Logistics Museum, hitched to a trailer and mounting various modifications.

Volkswagen announced the construction of a C$100 million plant to be constructed after Bombardier received the rights to manufacture the Iltis in Canada.[6] Volkwagen picked Barrie, Ontario, at first, but agreed to allow the vehicles to be constructed in Valcourt, Quebec, instead.[7]

In 1983, Ottawa announced the purchase of 1,900 Iltises for C$68 million, with a grant of C$1.3 million grant to expand the production line and C$700,000 for Bombardier to manufacture and market a civilian version of the Iltis.[6] In 1984, Bombardier-made Iltises were sold to Belgium.[6] In 1985, Ottawa purchased 600 Iltises under a C$15 million contract.[6]

All Bombardier production was halted by 1986.[3]

Specifications edit

The engine has a low 8.2: 1 compression ratio, allowing it to run on low-octane gasoline. The four-wheel drive is engaged by a lever on the floor, as are the optional differential locks. The car has rack-and-pinion steering and many suspension parts are the same at all four corners.[5] The interior is minimal, although the seats, from the contemporary Volkswagen Passat, were considered surprisingly comfortable by period observers. The tiny back seat has two individually folding seatbacks, but can be considered mainly an occasional seat.[5]

The Iltis with Citroën engine edit

In the late 1970s, the French government decided it was time to replace their aging fleet of Hotchkiss Jeeps and like Germany, they too called out for offers. No French company had a fitting vehicle on hand and designing one from the ground up would have been too expensive so they worked with the manufacturers that did have something to offer. Peugeot teamed up with Mercedes, put 504 petrol or diesel engines in the G-Wagen and called it the P4 ("VLTT" originally), Saviem put a 1647 cc Renault 20 engine in Fiat's Campagnola chassis and dubbed it the TRM500 and Citroën built the Citroën C-44, a Volkswagen Iltis-based vehicle powered by a 75 metric horsepower (55 kW) 1.8 litre Douvrin engine.[8]

The P4 was awarded the contract and the other two projects were scrapped, but a team entered a C-44 in the 1981 Paris–Dakar Rally. It did not finish the race.[9]

Operators edit

Former operators edit

References edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ Deutsche Autos, Band 3, 2001, p. 102.
  2. ^ https://warwheels.net/images/Iltis_datasheet_HAUGH.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  3. ^ a b Gordon, Bob (2013-09-21). "Opinion | The history of the Volkswagen Iltis". Toronto.com. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  4. ^ a b c d e "1986 BOMBARDIER ILTIS". www.orlandoautomuseum.com. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  5. ^ a b c d e Kacher, Georg (August 1979). "Over the rough with Iltis". TRUCK. London, UK: FF Publishing Ltd: 17, 19.
  6. ^ a b c d "Vehicle's history considered controversial - The Globe and Mail". The Globe and Mail. 3 October 2003.
  7. ^ "Shot-up polecat". Legion Magazine. 2021-07-26. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  8. ^ Kacher, Georg (June 1980). "Intertruck: Germany". TRUCK. London, UK: FF Publishing Ltd: 46.
  9. ^ "The Volkswagen Iltis (type 183)". www.ranwhenparked.net. 18 July 2023.
  10. ^ a b "ILTIS". VANCOUVER GUNNERS. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  11. ^ "Civilization.ca - Treasures Gallery - ILTIS". www.historymuseum.ca. Retrieved 2022-02-17.

Bibliography edit

  • Oswald, Werner [in German] (2001). Deutsche Autos [German Cars] (in German). Vol. Band [Volume] 3: 1945–1990 Ford, Opel und Volkswagen. Stuttgart: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 3613021161.
  • Queissner, Willy (2001). VW Iltis. Atglen, PA, USA: Schiffer Military History. ISBN 0764313096.
  • Schneider, Hans Jürgen; Schrader, Halwart (1983). Alles über Geländewagen: Fahrzeugkauf, Geländepraxis, Tips und Technik [Everything About Off-Road Vehicles: Vehicle purchase, off-road practice, tips and technology] (in German). München: BLV Buchverlag. ISBN 3405127564.
  • Schreier, Konrad F.; Clarke, R. M., eds. (2008). VW Kubelwagen Military Portfolio 1940-1990. Brooklands Books. ISBN 978-1855202184.
  • Schulze, Carl (2015). Iltis: Der LKW 0,5 t tmil gl Iltis im Dienste der Bundeswehr und anderer Armeen / The Iltis 0.5 t tmil Light Truck in Service with the Bundeswehr and other Armies. Militärfahrzeug Spezial No. 5057 (in English and German). Erlangen, Germany: Tankograd Publishing. OCLC 922701542.
  • Sippel, Kai (2004). VW Typ 183 "Iltis": Der Allrad Geländewagen von Volkswagen 1976-1988 [VW Type 183 "Iltis": The all-wheel drive off-road vehicle from Volkswagen 1976-1988] (in German). Hamburg: Independently published. ISBN 3000141138.

See also edit

volkswagen, iltis, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, septembe. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Volkswagen Iltis news newspapers books scholar JSTOR September 2012 Learn how and when to remove this template message The Volkswagen Type 183 more commonly known as the Iltis German for polecat 3 is a military vehicle built by Volkswagen for use by the German military The Iltis was formerly built under licence in Canada by Bombardier Inc 4 Volkswagen IltisTypeLight utility vehiclePlace of originGermanyService historyUsed bySee OperatorsProduction historyManufacturerVolkswagen Bombardier Inc Produced1978 1988No built9 547 built 1 SpecificationsMass1 300 kg 2 900 lb Length3 880 mm 153 in length2 020 mm 80 in MainarmamentMG3 FN MAG or M2 Browning machine guns 2 Engine1 7 L I41 6 L diesel I4TransmissionFront engine four wheel driveReferencesAlthough the two vehicles were briefly offered simultaneously the Type 183 effectively replaced the Type 181 Contents 1 History 1 1 Bombardier Iltis 2 Specifications 2 1 The Iltis with Citroen engine 3 Operators 3 1 Former operators 4 References 4 1 Notes 4 2 Bibliography 5 See alsoHistory editThe German military 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 With development taking longer than expected the German military requested for 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 responded to the request designing an updated version of their Kubelwagen and designating it the Type 181 But 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 spots that had been designated for the Europa Jeep the German government issued requests to several manufacturers to design and build prototype vehicles to be considered for military use Prior to the advent of Type 181 the German military had purchased several thousand vehicles of the Munga a light jeep manufactured by DKW but the production of the Munga had ended in 1968 Volkswagen had then consolidated the former Auto Union marques 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 nbsp Rear view of the IltisWanting 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 this time The German armed forces were anxious to replace the outdated two stroke machine 5 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 nbsp Paris Dakar Rally winner of 1980The 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 5 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 Earlier that year Freddy Kottulinsky and Gerd Loffelmann had won the Paris Dakar Rally in an Audi prepared Iltis 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 Mercedes Benz G Wagen Production began in the summer of 1978 and the first 200 units were delivered in November by late 1979 approximately 2 000 units had been delivered with 310 units sent to the Luftwaffe and 20 sent to the German Navy Although most of the units produced were four doored with open tops ambulance anti tank artillery survey command and field communications units with varying body styles were produced in small numbers A civilian model was also offered mostly in Germany It was first shown at the 1979 Geneva Motor Show and entered production soon thereafter originally only with a utilitarian soft top 5 The civilian Iltis found even fewer takers than the 181 had largely due to price and its utilitarian nature Bombardier Iltis edit nbsp A former Canadian Forces Iltis at the Canadian Forces Logistics Museum hitched to a trailer and mounting various modifications Volkswagen announced the construction of a C 100 million plant to be constructed after Bombardier received the rights to manufacture the Iltis in Canada 6 Volkwagen picked Barrie Ontario at first but agreed to allow the vehicles to be constructed in Valcourt Quebec instead 7 In 1983 Ottawa announced the purchase of 1 900 Iltises for C 68 million with a grant of C 1 3 million grant to expand the production line and C 700 000 for Bombardier to manufacture and market a civilian version of the Iltis 6 In 1984 Bombardier made Iltises were sold to Belgium 6 In 1985 Ottawa purchased 600 Iltises under a C 15 million contract 6 All Bombardier production was halted by 1986 3 Specifications editThe engine has a low 8 2 1 compression ratio allowing it to run on low octane gasoline The four wheel drive is engaged by a lever on the floor as are the optional differential locks The car has rack and pinion steering and many suspension parts are the same at all four corners 5 The interior is minimal although the seats from the contemporary Volkswagen Passat were considered surprisingly comfortable by period observers The tiny back seat has two individually folding seatbacks but can be considered mainly an occasional seat 5 The Iltis with Citroen engine edit In the late 1970s the French government decided it was time to replace their aging fleet of Hotchkiss Jeeps and like Germany they too called out for offers No French company had a fitting vehicle on hand and designing one from the ground up would have been too expensive so they worked with the manufacturers that did have something to offer Peugeot teamed up with Mercedes put 504 petrol or diesel engines in the G Wagen and called it the P4 VLTT originally Saviem put a 1647 cc Renault 20 engine in Fiat s Campagnola chassis and dubbed it the TRM500 and Citroen built the Citroen C 44 a Volkswagen Iltis based vehicle powered by a 75 metric horsepower 55 kW 1 8 litre Douvrin engine 8 The P4 was awarded the contract and the other two projects were scrapped but a team entered a C 44 in the 1981 Paris Dakar Rally It did not finish the race 9 Operators editThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed December 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message nbsp Argentina Argentine Army nbsp Greece Hellenic Army nbsp North Macedonia Army of the Republic of MacedoniaFormer operators edit nbsp Germany nbsp Belgium 2 673 vehicles for the Belgian Land Component from Bombardier 4 nbsp Canada 2 500 vehicles were ordered for the Canadian Forces 4 to replace the existing fleets of M151A2 M38A1 and CJ 7 before being replaced by the G Wagon in the late 2000s 10 One known to be on display courtesy of the Electrical and Mechanical Engineers workshops at Canadian Forces Base Ottawa 11 and another from the 15th Field Artillery Regiment Museum amp Archives 10 nbsp Cameroon 4 nbsp Oman 4 References editNotes edit Deutsche Autos Band 3 2001 p 102 https warwheels net images Iltis datasheet HAUGH pdf bare URL PDF a b Gordon Bob 2013 09 21 Opinion The history of the Volkswagen Iltis Toronto com Retrieved 2022 02 17 a b c d e 1986 BOMBARDIER ILTIS www orlandoautomuseum com Retrieved 2022 02 17 a b c d e Kacher Georg August 1979 Over the rough with Iltis TRUCK London UK FF Publishing Ltd 17 19 a b c d Vehicle s history considered controversial The Globe and Mail The Globe and Mail 3 October 2003 Shot up polecat Legion Magazine 2021 07 26 Retrieved 2022 02 17 Kacher Georg June 1980 Intertruck Germany TRUCK London UK FF Publishing Ltd 46 The Volkswagen Iltis type 183 www ranwhenparked net 18 July 2023 a b ILTIS VANCOUVER GUNNERS Retrieved 2022 02 17 Civilization ca Treasures Gallery ILTIS www historymuseum ca Retrieved 2022 02 17 Bibliography edit Oswald Werner in German 2001 Deutsche Autos German Cars in German Vol Band Volume 3 1945 1990 Ford Opel und Volkswagen Stuttgart Motorbuch Verlag ISBN 3613021161 Queissner Willy 2001 VW Iltis Atglen PA USA Schiffer Military History ISBN 0764313096 Schneider Hans Jurgen Schrader Halwart 1983 Alles uber Gelandewagen Fahrzeugkauf Gelandepraxis Tips und Technik Everything About Off Road Vehicles Vehicle purchase off road practice tips and technology in German Munchen BLV Buchverlag ISBN 3405127564 Schreier Konrad F Clarke R M eds 2008 VW Kubelwagen Military Portfolio 1940 1990 Brooklands Books ISBN 978 1855202184 Schulze Carl 2015 Iltis Der LKW 0 5 t tmil gl Iltis im Dienste der Bundeswehr und anderer Armeen The Iltis 0 5 t tmil Light Truck in Service with the Bundeswehr and other Armies Militarfahrzeug Spezial No 5057 in English and German Erlangen Germany Tankograd Publishing OCLC 922701542 Sippel Kai 2004 VW Typ 183 Iltis Der Allrad Gelandewagen von Volkswagen 1976 1988 VW Type 183 Iltis The all wheel drive off road vehicle from Volkswagen 1976 1988 in German Hamburg Independently published ISBN 3000141138 See also edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Volkswagen Iltis FMC XR311 HMMWV Fabrique Nationale AS 24 M151 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Volkswagen Iltis amp oldid 1179735397, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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