In 1953, in the midst of the Cold War, and faced with the Soviet threat, the Allies authorized the gradual remilitarization of West Germany. The new German army then issued calls for tenders for equipment. Among the equipment expected by this new army, which would become the Bundeswehr, was a small vehicle that had to be fast, agile, and lightweight while offering the greatest possible payload capacity. The specifications also specified that it had to be suitable for off-road use, reliable, and easy to maintain; a sort of American Jeep!
Three German manufacturers responded to this call for tenders: Auto Union with the DKW Mungo, Brogward with the Goliath Typ 34, and Porsche with the Typ 597 Jagdwagen (meaning "hunting car" in German), and presented their vehicles in Bonn, Germany, on January 15, 1955. Further presentations would take place in the following months to test their capabilities under different conditions. The Bundeswehr ordered six units from Porsche for this purpose (which were subsequently assembled at Karmann).
Porsche was inspired by the Volkswagen Kübelwagen and Schwimwagen developed by Ferdinand Porsche for the 1940-45 war. Named the Porsche 597 "Jagdwagen", meaning "hunting car", this vehicle weighs 870 kg and can reach 100 km/h on the road.
Porsche will therefore launch the 597 project (Typ 597) to meet this need for a lightweight, all-terrain, amphibious, and inexpensive liaison vehicle. The design office designs a self-supporting "bathtub" type body that can float and will be produced by a loyal Porsche subcontractor, Reutter. The engineers will also design an all-wheel drive system that will allow the Typ 597 Jagdwagen to climb slopes of up to 65°. It can also be switched back to simple front-wheel drive for driving on any normal road. On the road, it can reach 100 km/h thanks to its 1.5-liter flat four from the 356 developing 50 horsepower. This may seem a little weak, but this 4x4 weighs only 990 kg. It faces stiff competition: Borgward offers the Typ 31 through its Goliath brand, while Auto-Union offers the DKW Munga. Testing began in January 1955, particularly for off-road vehicles. The Porsche Typ 597 proved to be efficient and could even be chosen... But the DKW Munga also proved formidable. Auto-Union had political support and its product was much cheaper than Porsche's. Furthermore, DKW had an industrial facility in Ingolstadt, while Porsche was still a "small manufacturer."
Finally, it was not until January 19, 1956, that a first decision was made: DKW received an initial order for 5,000 units, while Porsche and Goliath received a small order of 50 units each, to continue testing. In 1958, the Bundeswehr definitively awarded the contract to DKW.
At Porsche, it had already been known since 1956 that the die was cast. So, to ensure the 1.8 million Deutschmark investment didn't go to waste, the teams attempted to adapt the Jagdwagen for civilian use. An additional 49 units were produced in this "leisure" configuration.
Porsche produced 71 units of its Typ 597, of which around fifty are still in existence, making the Jagdwagen one of the rarest Porsche models.
Most of its owners are now members of the "Porsche Jagdwagen" club, which must be one of the smallest Porsche clubs in the world!
Its current value is around 230,000 euros.
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