A rare as hen’s teeth 1943 KDF 166, described as being in original condition and having been owned by the same family since the late sixties, has come up for sale in Poland.

This is big news because you can probably count usable survivors from the WW2 era on a single hand and they rarely come up for sale. In truth, any you do see are most likely to be replicas built on VW Beetle floorpans with custom bodywork and would sink in anything more than a deep puddle.

The amphibious version of the Type 86 Kübelwagen, known as the Schwimmwagen, first appeared in 1940 and was fitted with a five-speed gearbox, four-wheel drive and a sealed, doorless body which was capable of carrying four soldiers. It could do 50mph on land and 6.2mph in water. In its aquatic role, a retractable gear-driven propeller was lowered manually to engage with a dog clutch attached to a power take-off from the engine.

The Type 166, which broke cover in 1942, featured a shorter wheelbase and was lighter than its predecessor and its 1131cc engine used a Solex 26 VFJ carburettor fed by twin front-mounted petrol tanks which contained 24 and 26-litres of fuel. In this guise it was a relatively sophisticated and well-equipped vehicle compared with the land-based Kübelwagen.

As such it was much sought after during WW2 and because supplies were very limited most went to the SS, initially on the Russian front. Only 14,283 had been made at the KfF-Stadt factory and by Porsche at Stuttgart when production ceased in 1944.

Inevitably then, virtually all the ones at shows are replicas – but the one for sale here, according to the seller, is the genuine wartime article. In the description, the vendor adds that all the metal is original, the engine and body numbers are correct for the car, and almost no rust was found during the restoration. It would certainly cause a stir if you navigated it down the little river that runs through Stanford Hall at this May’s VW show…

And the price for this close to unique, supremely clever piece of WW2 VW nostalgia? A cool £72,500…

Ian

The opinions expressed here are the personal opinions of the author and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of VW Heritage