1955 Porsche Type 597

The German army was re-established on November 12th, 1955, a decade after the close of World War II, which birthed the need for modern military equipment. When the German government solicited proposals for a military, light utility vehicle - Porsche proposed the Type 597.

Porsche created the Type 597 using many existing components along with a host of new and innovative technology. Using its expertise in both sports car and tractor production, the Type 597 was one of Porsche's more interesting projects.

The company's first attempt at building an offroad vehicle was created many years earlier - in the late 1930s - with the Ferdinand Porsche-developed Type Type 82 Kübelwagen and Type 86 Schwimmwagen light military vehicles. Both of these were based in part on his Volkswagen design of 1939.

The Type 597 was powered by an induced air-cooled flat-four engine sourced from the Porsche 356, and positioned in the rear similar to that of the Volkswagens and Porsches of the era. The 1.5-liter version produced approximately 50 horsepower, while the later 1.6-liter in the l-model gained a boost in output. Both were paired with a four-speed manual box with an additional on-the-fly two/four-wheel drive shifter. It had similar proportions to the popular Jeep and its wheelbase measured 2,060mm. The rigid steel monocoque tub was underpinned by a fully independent torsion bar suspension with shock absorbers.

Porsche's Stuttgart Body Works created the prototype bodies and Karmann was commissioned for the later versions. It had a monocoque shell without doors, a tall ride height, and a high-silled tub. The 'upside' design of the body meant that it was buoyant, amphibious, and could climb steep hills. Later designs incorporated rigid doors and reworked the design of the front wings, hood, and fenders with a more steply angled slope.

Beginning in early 1954, Werk 1 developed twenty-two prototype 'military' examples alongside Porsche's 356 Carrera and 550 Spyder orders. At least the first two prototypes may have had propellers and oars equipped for amphibious functionality.

The demise of the Type 597 and the reason it failed to secure a contract with the German government was its sophistication. Instead, the contract was awarded to Auto Union's DKW Munga due to its simplicity, low cost, and quick assembly time. Porsche continued to market the model to domestic sportsmen and foreign armies between 1956 and 1960. Gaining popularity with sportsmen, the vehicle earned the nickname 'Jagdwagen,' or 'hunting car.'

It is believed that seventy-one examples of the Type 597 were built including 49 for the civilian market (chassis numbers starting from 597-000101). The company considered replacing the Type 597 with a similar vehicle resting on an extended wheelbase of 2,400mm to accommodate various body styles, but the project was eventually canceled.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2023