Leichter Personenkraftwagen

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There are many of examples of the Kübelwagen in existence today. Many of these are poorly restored and have used modern Volkswagen Beetle parts. In some cases the body may be little more than a rusting steel latticework filled with kilos of body filler. A good original vehicle is very rare. There are a number of reasons to account for this. Firstly, there is the vehicle’s construction. It is thin sheet metal, spot welded and a natural water trap. Short of a total strip down, many of the parts within the body and chassis are not easily accessible. Secondly, many were kept running after the war by fitting spare parts from the phenomenally successful VW Beetle. These were cheap and easily available. What could not be replaced was the bodywork, hence the prodigious use of body filler. The Foundation’s VW Typ82 is an amalgamation of parts from three vehicles. The chassis and engine came from Normandy. The body, which also originally came from Normandy, was found in the UK mounted on a 1960s VW Beetle chassis. The decision to match the body to the chassis was based on archive research in the VW production archives. The chassis had been manufactured ....