You know what’s a fascinating car I don’t think we think about enough? The DKW Munga. You can trace the Audi Quattro cars back to the wellspring of the Munga, for one thing, but this clever little two-stroke three-banger military/hunting/off-road/getting dirty vehicle generally isn’t discussed much, at least not in America. The name is pretty great, too, and sort of sounds like exactly what it is. Munga. It sounds like it was named by a hungry caveman, which feels right. The name actually is an acronym from the German phrase “Mehrzweck Universal Geländewagen mit Allradantrieb”, which I’m told means “multi-purpose universal off-road car with all-wheel drive.” Catchy!
Oh, but what I was especially taken by this morning at 3 am was that you could get these in four, six, or eight passenger versions, all with the same wheelbase, though the octo-Munga did have extended bodywork to the rear. It’s not a big car, either! What other cars came in passenger size variations like that, especially with the same wheelbase?
You can see the eight at the top there, with two rows of three facing each other in the rear, and then two seats up front. Here’s the other two, with the shorter bodywork:
It looks like the fuel filler – maybe the whole tank? Gets re-located when the rear face-to-face seats show up, along with the spare re-located to the side as well, to allow for a drop-down tailgate. I like how you can still see the curve of the original body line in the side section just aft of the fuel filler there.
Look at all the top variations these things had, too:
The canvas tops for these could configure these into enclosed cars or airy open vehicles or little pickup trucks or, in the case of the 8 at least, something like an old-school rich people’s town car, with the passengers in back covered but the driver exposed to the elements.
Oh and check out this little detail I just noticed:
Like many utility/military vehicles, the lighting here are all tacked-on units, with nothing integrated into the bodywork. But look at those little – I bet Hella – turn indicator lamps. Look how they’re angled 45°! I love that! It’s such a clever and useful little touch, and something I’ve almost never seen on a vehicle like this. It makes them so much more visible from oblique angles and costs nothing! It’s so clever!
Anyway, hope your day is mungastic.
The simple Audi rings welded onto the very rudimentary grill are, by themselves, so appealing that I’d have to have a Munga just for parts-hauling duties were I trying to own an early TT or A4. 😉
They even tried to sell the car in the USA. It’s name was “Bronco”. At least Wikipedia tells this.
I think about the Munga at least a couple times a year. Is that not enough?
Hold my beer…
https://d2vlcm61l7u1fs.cloudfront.net/media%2F05c%2F05c99838-993d-438c-96f2-b5c75fc476e7%2Fphpn3G3Vv.png
“Hop in the Munga” sounds weird no matter how you splice it.
And by the way: Aren’t one of the 8 the driver, so it’s really a 7 passenger car?
Looking forward to a long article discussing that subject 🙂
Per Wikipedia:
Just wondering how a fairly simple jeep could “cause so many problems” – did they forget to add 2T oil, or did they enable too many hijinks by bored Dutch soldiers?
Looks like a Brazilian one sold on BaT for $8,300 earlier this year, anyway.
They aren’t powered by windmills, they don’t look like tulips, you can’t smoke them, they don’t look good in display windows with red lights, and there’re no leaking holes for sticking your fingers into. Probably just confused the Dutch.
I have driven an M38A1. The driver’s seat cannot be adjusted and is really tight for anybody above 5’10”. The average Dutchman is about 7 feet tall so this may have been an issue.
The 70 series is available still in many seating configurations and body styles. from 2 to 11 seats. Although I think they no longer sell all 11 seats in the troop carrier anymore.
I’m fairly certain for some African markets you can get it with 11, but yes, in Australia and New Zealand its either 2, 5 or BYO back seat in the troopie. Apparently facing inward with lap belts is not considered ‘safe’ anymore. Its outrageous I tells you!
When I was in the German Army; no really, VII (US) Corps Liasion to the II (GE) Korps, I drove these little devils on a regular basis. One thing not mentioned often, is that it had a “free wheeling” capability. Why I’m not sure. They always felt a bit tippy but were actually pretty well planted. And they could go virtually anywhere. If you got stuck four sturdy soldiers could lift it out and carry it away!
They probably had free wheeling for the same reason as 2-stroke SAABs (and possibly other 2-stroke cars) – if you use engine braking, there’s little to no fuel flow, and the oil is in the fuel, so the engine has no lubrication.
You’re right!
VW T3 Transporter/Vanagon came in 2/3/5/6/7/8/9 and 12 seater configurations all from the factory between 1979 and 1991 in Europe
They called these the Candango in Brazil. Munga versus Candango: a pocket lesson in why no one listens to German poetry.
Still better than Vogon poetry.
Haha. True. Thanks for all the fish.
Nerd alert
Loud and proud, buddy! 🙂
I’m going to wrap myself in my towel on that one.
A couple people have mentioned vans so far – there were some years of the 1st gen Chrysler minivans you could get seating for 2 (cargo vans), 5, 6, 7, or 8 passengers, all on the same wheelbase. The 6 & 8 passenger options were achieved with a 3-person front bench which AFAIK was pretty unique among minivans. I don’t think you could get a cargo van with just the front bench though which would add yet another option.
I remember them having quite the body roll (free rides during festivals at the military base!).
As VW Iltis it went on to win the 2nd Paris-Dakar!
And now, suddenly, I have vague memories of Captain Caveman bouncing around my head. Unga Munga!
I’ll say it again: The ‘Troop Carrier’ seating layout is the best seating layout.
Unless something hits the front or back of your vehicle….
Same argument could be made of getting T-Boned with normal seating.
Passenger vans (and Suburbans) used to be able to be ordered with various seat configurations, starting with just the driver on up through 15 passengers, with 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, and 12, in between, depending on the manufacturer or aftermarket upfitter.
How did the “just the driver” option work? Was it just open space in that passenger spot for cargo (or empty fast food bags and cups)?
Exactly. Here’s a page from the 1967 Chevrolet “Suburbans and Panels” brochure showing a C-series Panel Delivery with just a driver’s seat.
http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/GM%20Trucks%20and%20Vans/1967_Trucks_and_Vans/1967_Chevrolet_Suburbans_and_Panels_Brochure/1967%20Chevrolet%20Suburbans%20and%20Panels-04.html
It was really useful for carrying 10′ sticks of lumber, pipe, conduit, etc.
So to add an example of this. Parts delivery vehicle for dealership. The Ford Transit Connect comes out a while ago, and remember just how small the 1st generation North American Transit Connect was. Someone figured out that if you take the front passenger seat out of them, and 8ft bed side panel fits perfectly inside. They became the sweetheart of parts delivery.
Did they Simpson rolling luggage and strap it to the front right fender?
You are right, that is exactly what “Mehrzweck-Universal-Geländewagen mit Allradantrieb” means. And these things were pretty tiny, at the very least to today’s standards.
I was expecting this to be saying there are not many cars with 4 seats, or with 6, or with 8, not that one car had all three as an option haha. That would be a fun Jeep/LR alternative to have.
That top picture really looks…comfortable. It’s like Delta Airlines in there. No one over 5’6″ allowed. Go hunt your ducks, you gloriously short, white males. Waitaminute…where is their gear?!
All those dudes look cold.
I was going to say that too! Their body language just screams “unhappy carpool to their underpaying job on a cold Tuesday morning.”
I want one like the guy in the last photo: complete with cowboy hat and a popped collar adventure jacket. I’d have a big smile on my face too, just like him.
It’s rival, the Land Rover came in many configurations like that too.
Or how about the VW T1 bus?
That’s true about Series Land Rovers. Short wheelbase 88″ could have three across in the front, if someone did not mind the shift lever in a very uncomfortable spot, and four more in side seats in the back. Only long wheelbase 109″ could hold more passengers with two rows of three and then another four on the side seats in the back. Very versatile, but with different wheelbases. We’ve had a few, 88″, 109″ ex-MOD pickup and 109″ RHD Dormobile camper. The camper was the most fun, by far!
Apples vs Oranges