Author Topic: Solved: Wendax 1196 - Mercedes-Benz G5 Jagdwagen (Read 894 times)

Wendax · « **on:** March 19, 2014, 03:11:32 AM »

Sort of early SUV.

For one point, please respond and identify this car and whom it was built for.

BERTRAND · « **Reply #1 on:** March 21, 2014, 01:07:31 PM »

German?

Wendax · « **Reply #2 on:** March 21, 2014, 01:08:21 PM »

BERTRAND · « **Reply #3 on:** March 22, 2014, 06:47:14 AM »

Horch typ 40 (1942)

Wendax · « **Reply #4 on:** March 22, 2014, 07:38:49 AM »

Not a Horch

Wendax · « **Reply #5 on:** March 29, 2014, 02:32:21 AM »

AlexFrance · « **Reply #6 on:** March 29, 2014, 08:19:58 AM »

Is it a Mercedes?

Wendax · « **Reply #7 on:** March 29, 2014, 08:25:24 AM »

If I would like to confuse you, I could answer correctly "no". But I can tell you that it is a Mercedes-Benz, instead.

AlexFrance · « **Reply #8 on:** March 29, 2014, 03:20:00 PM »

Quote from: Wendax on March 29, 2014, 08:25:24 AM

If I would like to confuse you, I could answer correctly "no". But I can tell you that it is a Mercedes-Benz, instead.

... and you would be definitely right in doing so, it would teach me to ask more precise questions!

Is it a car that was meant to be used by soldiers?

Wendax · « **Reply #9 on:** March 29, 2014, 03:37:26 PM »

Usually yes, the pictured one not.

AlexFrance · « **Reply #10 on:** March 29, 2014, 07:13:33 PM »

As I am not a specialist of WWII vehicles that one was not easy to find... but I think I did!

It's a Mercedes-Benz G5 (W152), built in only 378 units between 1937 and 1941. It featured both 4-wheel steering and 4-wheel drive, and was sold in both civilian and military versions.

Wendax · « **Reply #11 on:** March 29, 2014, 07:21:22 PM »

Very good, Alex. That earns you a lock to find out for whom the pictured car was built for.

AlexFrance · « **Reply #12 on:** March 29, 2014, 07:31:13 PM »

Thanks!

I have read on a Polish website that one G5 was owned by Ignacy Mościcki, President of Poland from 1926 to 1939, but to be honest I am not sure the pictures are of the same car. I will PM you a link to said Polish webpage.

Wendax · « **Reply #13 on:** March 30, 2014, 04:40:16 AM »

Ooops! I have to admit that I misinterpreted my source. The puzzle picture is the official company picture for the civilian version of the G5. The customer I was looking for, Tsar Ferdinand I of Bulgaria, was just one of the customers, not the owner of the pictured car. So I'll reduce the puzzle a bit: Give me the name for this civilian version of the G5 (German name or English translation) in order to obtain your point.

Still locked.

AlexFrance · « **Reply #14 on:** March 30, 2014, 09:18:17 AM »

It's called a "Jagdwagen" (German for "hunting car").

Wendax · « **Reply #15 on:** March 30, 2014, 09:47:25 AM »

Exactly! A well-earned point is on its way.

Bill Murray · « **Reply #16 on:** March 30, 2014, 10:03:43 AM »

Having spent rather a lot of time on this one, I can add a bit of detail to the puzzle.

The puzzle car is indeed a Mercedes Benz G5 "Kolonialwagen" or "Jagdwagen", both terms were used.

As far as I have gotten in the research on this one, it was a one off for the British Motor Show of 1938 and was intended to promote interest on the part of Britain and the Empire countries, hence the right hand drive. By the time of the Show, Germany's intentions for the future of Europe were becoming rather clear and the car was not very popular and certainly was not going to be a commercial success. I do not know yet what became of this particular version of the G5.

Of note, during roughly the same time as a version of this car was gifted to the President of Czechoslovakia by Hermann Göring, other Mercedes cars, primarily the 6 wheel G4, were being gifted to amongst others, Mussolini, Franco of Spain, Haile Selassie of Ethopia, the King of Greece, Farouk of Egypt and Marshall Mannerheim of Finland.

Here is a photo of the car of the Czech President, which is essentially a civilianized version of the military G5.

Bill

Wendax · « **Reply #17 on:** March 30, 2014, 10:08:47 AM »

Thanks, Bill.

Bill Murray · « **Reply #18 on:** March 30, 2014, 10:23:44 AM »

Hmmm.

Only five minutes ago, I found another photo of this car which seems to be identical to the puzzle car except that in the photo it has left hand drive and no tube above the case on the running board. The photo was taken in front of the same building, I assume at the same time, but from a different angle. Or, it could just be that the photo was reversed when posted to the web.

I will do some further investigating to see if I can find if there were more than one of these variants produced.
Bill

Wendax · « **Reply #19 on:** March 30, 2014, 10:32:12 AM »

If Mercedes-Benz didn't get this one wrong, the RHD should be corrct, as you can see by the picture number on the bottom right corner:

AlexFrance · « **Reply #20 on:** March 30, 2014, 05:33:52 PM »

Quote from: Wendax on March 30, 2014, 09:47:25 AM

Exactly! A well-earned point is on its way.

Thanks! I really had fun searching for that car!

Wendax · « **Reply #21 on:** October 24, 2014, 04:26:44 AM »

A brochure:

News:

Author Topic: Solved: Wendax 1196 - Mercedes-Benz G5 Jagdwagen (Read 894 times)