Europa-Jeep

Europa Jeep was the colloquial name of a started in the 1960s, the joint project of the States, France, the Federal Republic of Germany and Italy, to develop a new, lightweight, military off-road amphibious vehicle. Officially the project under the French name " Vehicule de Commandement et de Liaison " (abbreviation VCL) ran.

  • 4.1 Description
  • 4.2 Technical Data Truck 0.5t gls (4 x 4 ) HBL

History

1966 agreed to France, the Federal Republic of Germany and Italy to jointly develop the so-called Euro- Jeep. According to the call, the vehicle should

  • Be equipped with a 40 to 50 hp (about 29 to 37 kW) multi-fuel engine;
  • 95 km / h maximum and cruising speed and a range of 800 kilometers guarantee;
  • Carry a 500 kg payload and 750 kg can drag trailer load;
  • Exceeding 1,5 tonnes, weigh, be air-transportable and deductible on a parachute, floatable and all-terrain vehicle.

The official " véhicule de commandment et de liaison " ( guiding and connecting motor vehicle ) or short VCL -called off-road vehicles should the French Hotchkiss M201, replace the German DKW Munga and the Italian Fiat Campagnola.

Originally, " three trilateral industry groups " build prototypes independently and compete with each other for the production order. The first group should be formed by Fiat, glass / MAN and Renault / Saviem, the second from NSU, Moto Guzzi and Panhard / Citroën and the third of Hotchkiss, Bussing, Lancia. The selected in this competition -based model should be built in a series of around 50,000 copies for all three countries involved, but equipped differently depending on the use. Finally, the two consortia developing Fiat -MAN Saviem remained (FMS ) and Hotchkiss Bussing - Lancia (HBL ) remain as they were commissioned to develop appropriate prototypes. It was planned that these prototypes should be 1970 for the field- testing even by the troops available. The project came but overall only very slowly, and when France finally retired in 1976, it was abandoned.

Since the Bundeswehr urgently replace their in the years DKW Mungas needed and could not wait for the completion of the European jeeps, they decided to an interim solution, the VW 181, a vehicle without four-wheel drive on a VW Beetle chassis. After the final cancellation of the Europa Jeep project, the Bundeswehr wrote again a four-wheel drive vehicle with 500 kg payload from, but refrained from this time on the requirement that the vehicle should be amphibious. Both Daimler -Benz and Volkswagen prototypes developed for the experiments. In 1977 the VW Iltis 183 was selected as a new lightweight all-terrain vehicle for the Bundeswehr.

The French Army, the M201 needed a replacement for your SUV Hotchkiss, waived the requirement for buoyancy and called on the French automotive industry to develop an appropriate SUV. Three French carmaker introduced prototypes, none of which was a new development. Renault presented their TRM 500 ( a revised Fiat Campagnola 1107AD ), the Citroën C44 ( a VW Iltis with Citroën CX- motor) and the Peugeot P4 ( a Mercedes G- model with minor changes and a Peugeot engine). 1981 Peugeot finally awarded the contract to supply nearly 15,000 P4.

The precursor: Development 0.5t national glass and BMW

On the basis of specifications and a contract from the year 1964, the Hans Glas GmbH / Isaria machinery factory in Dingolfing developed a first prototype of a truck 0,5 t gl for the Bundeswehr. The vehicle was designed as a front handlebar with a built-in between the front seats engine in self-sustaining When construction and completed in 1966. The vehicle was a four-wheel drive, buoyant six-seater with two doors and a pair of scissors folding top. The vehicle is part of the inventory of the Bundeswehr Technical Study Collection Koblenz.

After the takeover of the company by the glass BMW AG, development was continued and made ​​1968-1971 at least four improved prototypes for testing in the Bundeswehr. The basic structure of these were very similar to the glass prototypes. Three of the prototypes were destroyed in 1974 in crash tests. A prototype has been preserved and is also part of the Bundeswehr Technical Study Collection Koblenz.

The Europa Jeep Fiat -MAN Saviem truck 0.5 t gls (4 x 4 ) FMS

The Bundeswehr was the tested prototypes of their FMS, the term truck 0.5t gls (4 x 4 ) FMS (truck 0.5 ton payload, all-terrain, floatable, 4 wheels, 4 driven ). One of these vehicles is now part of the Bundeswehr Technical Study Collection Koblenz, at least two are in private hands.

Description

The good two-ton FMS prototype has a pontoon- shaped steel tub, within which all parts of the vehicle except for the wheels and suspension are housed waterproof. To reinforce the tub a frame is welded inside. The cavities are to give the car even with leak shock lift, filled with PU - foam. To top the tray is open and has four small doors that are designed to prevent water rides at the entering sloshing of water. It has seven seats ( a rumble seat ) and has a collapsible hood. The windshield can be folded forward.

The vehicle is powered by a rear-mounted engine. To use comes in either a water-cooled, 4 - cylinder in-line petrol engine from Fiat or an air-cooled 4- cylinder in-line multi-fuel engine from MAN labeled L 9204 FMV. The power transmission takes place via an attached front of the engine 5 -speed transmission of Saviem. A by the driver probably difficult to dominant feature of the vehicle, are the sixteen different driving and operating modes which can be switched by small, right and left of the handbrake lever mounted control lever. Thus, the FMS prototype for example, can either go with front-wheel, rear-wheel or all-wheel drive, but all-wheel drive and water drive or front-wheel drive with winch and water is possible ( see Graph modes ).

A special off-road ratio is not available, but the 1st gear designed as an off-road gear. Also on differential locks has been omitted. The four drive wheels are independently suspended and torsion bar suspension. On the road of FMS Europe jeep reaches a top speed of 100 km / h In the water he is maneuvered by a water jet drive which takes him to a maximum of 7.6 km / h. At the bow, the vehicle has a recessed mounted, mechanically driven winch that is covered with water rides by a sheet metal cover. To bring the water rides at any penetrating water overboard again, two hydraulically driven bilge pumps are available that can be used when connecting a suction and pressure hose also for washing the machine. For loading and unloading of the vehicle two 4.70 m long ramps should be carried.

Furthermore, were provided:

  • Anchor with 40 m long rope,
  • NBC protective equipment,
  • Semi-automatic, on-board fixed fire extinguishing system,
  • MG- mount,
  • Radio equipment,
  • Board crane with a lifting capacity of 1000 kg.

Technical Data Truck 0.5t gls (4 x 4 ) FMS

The Europa- Jeep of Hotchkiss Bussing - Lancia truck 0.5 t gls (4 x 4 ) HBL

In the army the vehicle gls (4 x 4 ) ran under the name of truck 0,5 t HBL (truck 0.5 ton payload, all-terrain, floatable, 4 wheels, 4 driven ). Overall, probably only four prototypes were produced. One of these vehicles is now in the Bundeswehr Technical Study Collection Koblenz, about the whereabouts of the remaining vehicles is not known.

Description

With 1750 kg curb weight the vehicle is lighter than the competition model of the FMS group. It has like this on a buoyant steel tub in which all essential components are housed waterproof. To top the tray is open and has five small doors ( one on the rear of the vehicle ) to prevent water rides at the entering sloshing of water. It has seating for six (4 2 jump seats ). The two rear seats can be folded down. It then becomes a flat loading area, which can be used for accommodating various devices. The soft top has a simple Spriegelkonstruktion and is removable. The windshield can be folded forward. The vehicle is powered by either a vehicle in the front mounted, water-cooled, 4 - cylinder boxer petrol engine or an equivalent injection engine. Both engines are of Lancia and water-cooled. The power transmission takes place at two of the prototypes of a single dry and a five-speed manual transmission, with the other two via a torque converter plus four-speed manual transmission. For road travel the front axle is driven by a front engine block, the rear axle can be switched on for off-road operation. At the rear, a manual transmission differential lock is available. A special off-road ratio is not available, but the 1st gear designed as an off-road gear. The four drive wheels are independently suspended on wishbones and suspension bolts. The components of the front and the rear axle are the same. On the road of HBL -Europa- Jeep has a top speed of 100 km / h In the water he is maneuvered by a water jet drive which takes him to a maximum of 10.5 km / h. At the bow, the vehicle has a winch.

Technical Data Truck 0.5t gls (4 x 4 ) HBL

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