First test drive on October 9, 1946. Chief designer Heinrich Roessler is behind the wheel while Hans Zabel, who gave the Unimog its name, stands on the right. Photos courtesy Daimler-Benz.
In 1944, with Germany facing serious food shortages in the aftermath of World War II, Daimler-Benz AG engineer Albert Friedrich had the idea to create an agricultural implement that could not only help to plant and harvest crops, but drive them into town was well. Later known as the Unimog, an abbreviation of Universal Motor Geraet, or universal motorized device, the truck that would go on to become the world’s most versatile off-roader began testing 70 years ago this month.
Friedrich had been the head of aircraft development at Daimler-Benz, but in the postwar years turned his attention to the reconstruction effort. Returning to Stuttgart to help rebuild his former company, now forbidden from building aircraft (or even four-wheel drive vehicles), Friedrich laid out the plans for his envisioned do-it-all farming vehicle.
December 1946: The prototype gains a cab and a Daimler-Benz OM636 diesel engine.
The first blueprint for such a vehicle was presented to the Daimler-Benz board of directors in September of 1945, but surprisingly, little interest was shown in the proposed project. Despite the lack of enthusiasm, the engineering plans were presented before the Production Control Commission, a group headed by the American military, which granted approval to proceed with the construction of 10 examples for testing.
Manufacturing company Erhard & Söhne was tasked with building the approved prototypes, and in January of 1946 Friedrich handed the project over to its chief designer, Heinrich Rössler. Over the next two months, Rössler worked to finalize the design of the vehicle, then referred to as the “engine-driven multi-purpose machine.”
Its track (1.27 meters, or 50 inches) needed to be wide enough to span two rows of planted potatoes, its top speed was to be 50 km/h (31 MPH), and it was to be fitted with wheels of equal size, making it easier for a farmer to drive his crops over public roads to the nearest market. Four-wheel drive, with locking front and rear differentials was another requirement, even though this precluded Daimler-Benz from building the early examples.
For simplicity, it was to use a frame and suspension similar to that found in cars and trucks of the day, while a cab with upholstered seats and a fabric covering ensured protection from the elements. For versatility, it was to have equipment mounting points on the front, rear and sides, with PTO points to match, and its bed would have a carrying capacity of one ton. Power was to come from a small diesel engine, though the prototype was initially constructed with a gasoline engine for the sake of expediency.
An Unimog set up for road and rail use, demonstrating its versatility.
The first prototype (now known as the Unimog, a name coined by development team member Hans Zabel) was delivered for testing in October of 1946, and on October 6, Rössler himself drove the test vehicle, missing much of its sheet metal but laden with a full load of timber, on a rutted forest road.
Following a successful test period, the Unimog entered production in 1947, with assembly transferred to a new partner, Boehringer. Erhard & Söhne lacked the capability to produce the Unimog in reasonable volume, while Mercedes-Benz was still prohibited from building AWD vehicles. A new diesel engine, the Daimler-Benz OM636, powered the early production units and gave farmers a standardized fuel type.
Manufacturing transferred to Daimler-Benz’s Gaggenau plant in 1951, and the interlocking U-shaped rams’ horns logo that had previously symbolized the Unimog was replaced by the familiar three-pointed star. A long-wheelbase model joined the lineup, and in 1953, a metal-enclosed cab became an option for the first time. By 1954, no fewer than 66 different agricultural appliances could be attached to the Unimog, and a year later, Daimler-Benz split the product line into two distinct models: one targeted to farming and municipal use, another targeted to overland transport in areas where roads were scarce, if not altogether nonexistent.
A modern Unimog demonstrates its versatility.
That same year, 1955, saw the Unimog adopted for service with the Bundeswehr (German army), and the vehicle’s robustness and versatility would see it pressed into service with armies around the globe. In 1966, Daimler-Benz produced the 100,000th Unimog, and a mere 11 years later, doubled that production number, reaching 200,000 examples built. Today, over 400,000 Unimogs have been delivered to customers around the world, though in North America the truck remains something of an oddity.
It isn’t for a lack of effort on the part of Daimler-Benz, which imported Unimogs to these shores via tractor dealer Case from 1975 to 1980. In 2002, the Unimog returned, this time sold through Freightliner dealerships, but in five years of sales, just 184 examples were delivered to commercial and municipal customers. Faced with tightening emissions regulations, Daimler-Benz again withdrew the Unimog from North America in 2007.
A modern Unimog brush truck.
Today, seven decades since the initial Unimog prototype proved the merits of Friedrich’s idea, the truck remains the vehicle of choice for customers requiring the go (almost) anywhere, do (almost) anything capabilities that the rig, in its many forms, delivers. Daimler-Benz claims that, “No other commercial vehicle in the world can function as a tractor, towing vehicle, truck, fire-fighting and exploration vehicle, bus and working machine,” a point we certainly wouldn’t argue. Happy birthday, Unimog, and here’s to many more.
from Hemmings Daily – News for the collector car enthusiast http://ift.tt/2e4QQNE
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