356 World

A Porsche SUV? Been there, done that!

by Glenn H. Hill

It was 1954, nine years after the apocalyptic end of the Second World War, and the German army was being rebuilt. The nation was now ready to fulfill its NATO obligations and assist in the defense of Western Europe. Modern equipment was needed for the newly created Bundeswehr (Federal Army), and the German government submitted requests for an all-purpose military vehicle, which would need to have off-road capability and also be simple, rugged, and reliable.

Porsche threw its hat into this ring. Today it seems like an unusual project for Porsche to be involved in, but one of the first major projects assigned to young Ferry Porsche by his father was the design of the WWII German army’s jeep-type car, the VW Kuebelwagen. Based on early VW Beetle running gear, this vehicle was further developed into the amphibious VW Schwimmwagen (Swimming Car). Both vehicles were very successful, and they saw extensive use throughout WWII.

If the rugged little 597 had gone into large-scale production, the Porsche company might be as well known today for its off-road vehicles as it is for its sports cars!

Armed with this experience, Porsche designed the Type 597 Jagdwagen (Hunting Car, pronounced: Yahgt-vahgen), which seemed to combine elements of both the Kuebelwagen and the Schwimmwagen. Production began in 1954, and these cars were built...of all places...in the race shop alongside 356GT’s and 550 Spyders destined for the racetracks of the world!

As prototype vehicles, there were many changes from car to car, and no two were exactly alike. The 597 was visually similar to the earlier Kuebelwagen, and the body was made of stamped steel with heavy embossings for extra rigidity. Radios, lights, and other military equipment were powered by two 12-volt batteries and a dynamo. A little-known fact about the 597 is that the first four cars were fully amphibious, complete with a folding propeller much like the WWII Schwimmwagen. These 597’s are therefore the only Porsches to come from the factory with canoe paddles as original accessories! The remaining cars were not amphibious, but could ford deep water using special equipment.

Power for the Jagdwagen came from a detuned 356A engine producing 55hp. Similar to the Porsche industrial engine, it came with low-compression pistons and a single Zenith carburetor. The power was put to the ground through an advanced four-wheel drive system, which offered shift-on-the-fly convenience. So equipped, the 597 could climb an astounding 65-degree angle. However, as you may expect, the Jagdwagen’s suspension is extremely firm riding, and there are few creature comforts to be found, except perhaps for the simple folding top. So, yes, the soldiers of the German Army would have been riding around in Porsche convertibles. Not bad duty, I would say!

However, there were other companies vying for this lucrative contract, and one of these firms was the German carmaker DKW, which was later absorbed by Audi. DKW’s entry was as unique as Porsche’s. Powered by a two-stroke engine (a DKW specialty), their car was not as capable as the Porsche, but was much simpler mechanically and far less expensive. The winner? You know the answer already because you’ve probably never even heard of the Jagdwagen! Yes, sadly it was the DKW that was chosen to equip the German Army. Porsche blamed this on nasty government politics, but those in-the-know feel that the Jagdwagen was way too expensive and also terribly over-engineered. Perhaps Dr. Porsche had tried to recreate his earlier successes, but felt the need to do it even better this time around.

A rare brochure for the Porsche Jagdwagen. Like the car itself, these are valuable items today!

Porsche tried to recover some of its substantial investment in the car by offering the Jagdwagen to the public, but there were few takers. There wasn’t another car like this being sold anywhere in Europe, and so there was no real customer base to advertise to. Production of the 597 ended in 1958 after just a mere 71 units had been produced. Today it seems like a great tragedy that at least a few more Jagdwagens weren’t made, because if any one car could illustrate how diverse the Porsche Company really is, then that car would probably be the Type 597 Jagdwagen.

My special thanks go to PCA Jagdwagen specialist and owner Myron Vernis, who provided much of the detail information found in this article.

Glenn

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