Porsche 597

About Porsche 597

The Porsche 597 Jagdwagen (hunting car) is a light 4WD military vehicle, designed in the 1950s to fill the same general military role as the VW Kübelwagen, the US Jeep and British Land-Rover. Originally developed as a prototype for a 1953 tender to the West German police and a future West German Army, the car never reached mass production after the DKW Munga was chosen over it for reasons of economics. The 597 was propelled by an induced air-cooled flat-four taken from the Porsche 356, located in the rear of the vehicle like the VWs and Porsches of the period; first in an amended version of the 1.5 litre, with a later bump to 1.6 in the l-model. This engine had an output of around 37 kW (50 HP). Together with a vehicle weight of 990 kilograms a maximum speed of around 100 kilometers per hour could be achieved. For transmission, a 5-speed manual box with additional on-the-fly two/four wheel drive shifter was provided. With its short wheelbase of 2,060 mm, the vehicle had the ability to climb steep grades of up to 65%. The prototype body of the car was manufactured by Porsche's own Stuttgart Body Works with later versions (stabilized with torsion bars) coming from Karmann.