Rare Car Archive

Makes › Volkswagen Germany › Type 87 Kommandeurswagen · Rare production · 1942–1944 Very Rare

Volkswagen
Type 87 Kommandeurswagen

Four-wheel-drive Beetle-bodied staff car on Schwimmwagen running gear.

Still being researched: full specifications. Everything shown is checked against the cited sources. Know more? Send us a source.

IDENTIFICATION CARD · VOLKSWAGEN TYPE 87 KOMMANDEURSWAGEN 1942–1944
No licensed photograph yet. Photographs are published only when their licence permits it.
564BuiltIndependently researched
0Chassis documentedin this archive
?SurvivingNot yet verified
Contents
  1. 01Overview
  2. 02Production & history
  3. 03Specifications
  4. 04Colours & options
  5. 05Individual cars
  6. 06Reference

01Overview

At a glance

Built
564 Built
Years
1942–1944
Engine
Four-cylinder petrol, rear · 1,198 cc / 1.2 LFactory: 1,198 cc
Power
17 kW / 23.1 PSFactory: 17 kW
Top speed
Not yet verified
Body
Not yet verified
Designer
Ferdinand Porsche
In this archive
Not yet verified
Surviving
Not yet verified

Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.

Why it matters

The Type 87 was a four-wheel-drive version of the KdF-Wagen built by Volkswagenwerk mainly for the Wehrmacht. It combined a Beetle-style body with the off-road drive system of the Schwimmwagen.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Model rarityVery Rare 564 · Built1
Specification rarityNot yet assessed
Colour rarityNot yet assessed
Individual rarityNot yet assessed
Historical rarityNot yet assessed
Survival rarityNot yet assessed

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

02Production & history

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

What is countedFigureBasisStatus
Total model productionType 87 Kommandeurswagen produced by VW ("In all, 564 Kommandeurswagen were produced as VW"); the page also notes Georgano's higher figure of 667 5641 Factory production Independently researched

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

The listing says four-wheel-drive Beetles were used in Northern Europe and in the African campaign, and that how many Type 87s were built is disputed, with estimates from a few vehicles to several hundred. It also describes the advertised car as a 1980s reconstruction in Norway on an original four-wheel-drive chassis, later in a German collection; this is a dealer statement.

Variants

How each version differs from the standard Type 87 Kommandeurswagen.

No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.

03Specifications

Technical specifications

Engine

Engine familyNot yet verified
Engine codeNot yet verified
LayoutFour-cylinder petrol, rear2 Independently researchedDealer data for the listed reconstructed car; engine stated as taken from the Schwimmwagen Type 166.
Displacement 1,198 cc / 1.2 LFactory: 1,198 cc2 Independently researchedDealer listing data.
BoreNot yet verified
StrokeNot yet verified
Compression ratioNot yet verified
Fuel systemNot yet verified
Power 17 kW / 23.1 PSFactory: 17 kW2 Independently researchedListing also gives 23 hp. Dealer listing data.
Power atNot yet verified
TorqueNot yet verified

Transmission & drivetrain

GearboxManual, with second lever for front-wheel drive2 Independently researched
Gears42 Independently researched
Driven wheelsAll four, with low range and lockable differential3 Independently researched

Chassis, body & dimensions

ChassisNot yet verified
Front suspensionCrank-arm axle, longitudinal links with torsion-bar springs2 Independently researched
Rear suspensionPortal swing axle guided by longitudinal links, reduction gears at half-shaft ends2 Independently researched
BrakesDrum brakes front and rear2 Independently researched
SteeringNot yet verified
Body constructionNot yet verified
WheelbaseNot yet verified
LengthNot yet verified
WidthNot yet verified
HeightNot yet verified
Front trackNot yet verified
Rear trackNot yet verified
Kerb weightNot yet verified
Dry weightNot yet verified

Performance

Maximum speedNot yet verified
0–100 km/hNot yet verified
Fuel tank 40 LFactory: 40 L2 Independently researchedA further 20-litre can is carried under the front lid.

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

04Colours & options

Factory colours & interiors

Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

Factory options & codes

Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

05Individual cars

Chassis register

Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

Competition history

Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

Auction & sale history

Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

See one in person

Museums where an example of this car can be seen.

No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.

06Reference

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

Being verified against factory or registry sources before it is published. Have a source? Contribute it.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

  1. 1
    Truck Encyclopedia – VW Typ 87 Kommandeurswagen (1940) Level C
    • 564 Type 87 Kommandeurswagen produced by VW ("In all, 564 Kommandeurswagen were produced as VW"); the page also notes Georgano's higher figure of 667
    Accessed 2026-11-12
  2. 2
    1943 Volkswagen KdF - Kommandeurswagen (4WD chassis) Level C Classic Trader (dealer listing, Swiss Cargold)
    • Cylinders 4; Transmission Rear
    • Cubic capacity (cm3) 1198
    • Power (kW/hp) 17/23
    • off-road gear is engaged ... via a second gear lever
    • Gears 4
    • front wheels are individually suspended from two longitudinal links
    • portal swing axle guided by longitudinal links
    • Front brakes Drum; Rear brakes Drum
    • 40-liter tank
    Accessed 2026-11-12
  3. 3
    Kommandeurwagen 4x4, verdade ou mito? Level C Autoentusiastas · 2024-09
    • tem marcha reduzida e bloqueio mecânico de diferencial como padrão
    Accessed 2026-11-12

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