Euro Patrol: 1960 Auto Union DKW F91/4 Custom

I had no idea what this thing was before I saw it on ebay.

Apparently this was to the West German military what the Willys Jeep was to the American army: the de facto standard-issue military vehicle.

One of the wonderful things about German automakers is that they don't just make fast cars for the autobahn. They also make terrific off-road utility vehicles.

This is undoubtedly one of them.

It's a 1960 Auto Union DKW F91/4. Just from the cold sounding name alone you can tell it means business.

Fortunately the seller has a great sense of humor in the listing.

They say that the official German name is "Mehrzweck UNiversal Gelandenwagen mit Allradantrieb", or "Munga" for short. They mention a lot of them were built for the German border patrol, probably for the Berlin Wall among other places. This could make it a historical and political piece.

Auto Union was a group of German automakers. As you might guess from the four-ringed logo above, the company was acquired by Volkswagen and then evolved into modern-day Audi as we know it.

What makes this one special is the custom chopped windshield, seats, seat belts, canvas top, and tubular space frame, among other things. The chopped windshield alone is enough to raise eyebrows, and the seller states, perhaps unsurprisingly, they prefer it over the original.

I googled "munga" and found some images of the original. It is certainly different looking, much less character and more rank-and-file than this yellow beast, which is like the Alpine meets Baywatch.

I also found a cover story two years ago from the legendary Bring a Trailer that included this exact Munga for sale among three others. It elaborates on the story behind this one. Apparently the entire original engine and drivetrain were removed in favor of a rear-mounted Volkswagen engine, among various other custom touches as mentioned above. BaT states it's a 1957 as apposed to the 1958-60 the current seller thinks it is. But officially, the actual year is irrelevant: it's titled as a 1968 VW.

Apparently the 2010 sale ended with this yellow Munga being sold for $9,200, impressive for a custom job that completely alters the car's mechanical geography and driving mannerisms from the manufacturer's original intentions. The current seller now wants $9,900. It's a lot for this vehicle, but whoever is selling it is not trying to make bank on it, and probably couldn't if they tried anyways. It would be fun for a vintage euro truck enthusiast with a beach house who wants to impress guests with rides out across the dunes in it. It'll be the only one for many miles, that's for sure.

Find it here on ebay.