Volkswagen 166 Schwimmwagen

A military amphibious vehicle based on the KdF-Wagen ('Kraft durch Freude'), the car that would later become known as the Volkswagen Beetle.

A military amphibious vehicle based on the KdF-Wagen (Kraft durch Freude), the car that would later become known as the Volkswagen Beetle. This Schwimmwagen has a foldable propeller at the rear, which, for use in the water, is connected to a shaft coming from the rear mounted engine. The exhaust is positioned high on the vehicle so that no water can enter. A pioneer shovel and paddles (!) are part of the standard equipment. The vehicle has four wheel drive, a four speed gearbox and an off road gear. The air cooled engine with a capacity of 1,131 cc delivers 25 hp and allows for a top speed of 80 km/h. In the water, the Schwimmwagen can reach a speed of 10 km/h. More than 14,000 of these amphibious cars were built. After the war many Schwimmwagens were scrapped because of the great demand for steel. A few were bought by fire and police departments and by farmers. Today it is a rare car.