ILTIS - the UR-QUATTRO

The Iltis was an integral part of the Bundeswehr's fleet from the late 1970s to the late 1990s as a 0.5 t tmil gl truck.

It was also used by other NATO and non-NATO countries.

This off-road vehicle was not developed and produced by VW but by the subsidiary Audi in Ingolstadt.
The VW Iltis was the replacement vehicle for the DKW Munga (all-wheel drive), which had been in service with the federal government since the late 1950s, and the VW Kübel 181 (rear-wheel drive only), which had been in service with the troops since the late 1960s.
Before the Iltis was put into service with the Bundeswehr, it was tested as an escort vehicle in winter conditions in Scandinavia. Volkswagen also won the world's toughest rally, the Paris-Dakar, with the Iltis in 1980.

The VW Iltis 183 was also built and offered for the civilian market, but did not sell well due to the high price of 39,300 DM.

This sum is three times the price of a VW Golf with the basic equipment.

After production at Volkswagen was discontinued, the production line was sold to the Canadian company Bonbardier. Bombardier continued to build the Iltis with slight modifications and supplied the Canadian and Belgian armies, where it is still used today.

Key data

Period: 1978 – 1988

Class:

Off-road vehicle Body versions: Kübelwagen

Engines: Petrol engine: 1.7 litres (55kW)

Diesel engine: 1.6 liters (52kW)

Length: 3972 mm

Width: 1520mm

Height: 1837mm

Wheelbase: 2017mm Curb

weight: 1340mm

The VW Iltis is a further development of the VW Munga body.

It is an off-road vehicle with a box frame and a phaeton body.

It is open with a folding top, 4 doors and a windshield that folds forwards.

As has been seen several times on German roads, the roof and doors are removed for open-top driving.

In order to transport injured soldiers, the medical vehicle was delivered with an extended roof. In the years 1978-1988, the Iltis could be powered by a water-cooled four-cylinder petrol engine with 1.7 liters and 55 kW (75 hp) or a turbo diesel with 1.6 liters 52 kW (70 hp). The German army used the Iltis with rear-wheel drive and switchable front-wheel drive.

The front-wheel drive is integrated with a manual transmission and has four synchronized forward gears and one reverse gear as well as an off-road forward gear that are not synchronized.

The wheel suspension is the same at the front and rear with wishbones at the bottom and a wheel-guiding transverse leaf spring at the top. The front axle has a rack and pinion steering, and at the rear the tie rods are mounted on the cross-member of the frame above the springs. The VW Iltis can go from 0 to 100 km/h in 21 seconds.

Its top speed is 130 km/h. The low speed is probably due to the relatively high weight and air resistance of the vehicle. Its performance is first-class off-road, but requires experience as its short wheelbase and high center of gravity mean it is in danger of tipping over on slopes.

The VW Iltis can of course still be purchased today, the price starts at €1,500 for hobbyists and well-restored ones start at €9,000. Most Iltis are offered with a mileage of over 120,000 km... So they are well run in... The same applies here as always when buying a used car...

KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN WHEN BUYING A VEHICLE!

When buying, you should be careful of filled and repainted vehicles. Weak points are: Side skirts, rear panels, window subframes, roof bows, Fan/cooler. The all-wheel drive technology should also not lose a lot of oil or make noise when driving.

You should always take a specialist or someone who knows the vehicle very well with you when buying or viewing it, otherwise there could be nasty surprises. All in all, the VW Iltis would have become a car legend if the purchase had not been so enormously expensive that only the military could afford it.

So that's it for me and my thoughts and experiences about the Iltis.

I'm happy to accept suggestions and questions about our topic and will try to answer them all.

Greetings from Oli the pioneer