Bombardier VW iltis

[rezdiver]

Bombardier VW Iltis

Here is my little toy for some local family adventures and my daily driver. 1986 Bombardier Iltis. some modifications for comfort but mostly stock. seats 4, 2 kids in the back and me and the wife. I have the original trailer that goes with it (Canadian M101) for long trips and for hauling all the camping gear and kids stuff. I have done a tailgate modification to the trailer.
I kept adding things to the truck a while back but have since stripped it to bare essentials again as i realized all the extras was just useless and the truck is just great as is. so far very dependable and can keep up on the trails with not too much problems.

 

[Tanto]

Now there's something you don't see everyday. Neat little truck!

 

[upcruiser]

Awesome! I would love to get my hands on one of those! I assume you are in Canada?

 

[rezdiver]

pic of the trailer and tailgate mod.
trailer may look used and abused to some of you restoring your trailers but i assure you this trailer has been to hell and back with hauling stuff for me and still going strong. I use this trailer nearly everyday work or play.

for those of you with the same trailer, 1 yard or 1500kg of gravel will just put the trailer on the bumpstops.

I am on Vancouver Island up in Canada

 

[Victorian]

pic of the trailer and tailgate mod.
trailer may look used and abused to some of you restoring your trailers but i assure you this trailer has been to hell and back with hauling stuff for me and still going strong. I use this trailer nearly everyday work or play.

for those of you with the same trailer, 1 yard or 1500kg of gravel will just put the trailer on the bumpstops.

I am on Vancouver Island up in Canada

Great! Another one from the Island :victory: Great place isn't it!

Anyhow, I have driven them in the German Airforce for several years, same as Unimogs, MAN's and such... I was always impressed how well the Iltis performed offroad :smiley_drive: It went over everything! Yes, it was a bumpy ride and I always picked a nice cushy Unimog when I had the option... But the nice thing about the Iltis is the fact that is was designed for offroading. After a day on the trail you just grab a waterhose and rinse it out--from the INDISE! Loved it! Hit my head many time on the rollbars .... hated them
BTW, there are several of those Iltis's at the Armory down town Victoria... Wonder if they are becoming available soon....

 

[Lynn]

Thanks for sharing the pix. I've always been curious about these vehicles (they show up occasionally on eBay. Here's one in California).

I've read that the only mod they made to the one that won the '80 Dakar rally was to add off-road lights...

So, tell us more. How is the parts availability and maintainability (stock form)?

They basically use the Audi Quattro drive train, right? Do they have 4-low?

Do they have, or can you add, locking hubs?

Inquiring minds want to know...

 

[rezdiver]

they are a bumpy ride but very similar to a Suzuki Samurai. I changed the seats in mine to something a bit more civilized

The Iltis down i Victoria will probably end up at the museum. almost all the ones located on the bases have been auctioned and if there is one left it is usually for museum piece.

The Dakar model had a couple of mods: incresed rollbar protection and i believe they used improved shocks, but otherwise stock.

The audi Quattro drive train was based on this truck but parts do not exactly transfer over, but a lot of parts can be cross referenced to Audi or VW.

The Canadian Iltis runs on a 1.7 VW gas engine. it has a 4 speed tranny with a very low granny gear. no transfer case. it has a rear locker as standard. front locker is available.

the suspension has very little travel and is based on independant suspension with Transverse Parabolic leaf springs. its more if a buggy rather than a crawler.


the drive train and design is very simple for maintenance and parts. and parts are available from local suppliers up here:
Very easy for field maintenance
-24v system
-front and rear transverse springs matching
- all 4 axles and inner and outer CV's are the same
-4 matching hubs and brakes
-most of the steering components anre matching or close.

 

[greg mgm]

That is super cool and very hard to find here in CA.
I wouldn't restore your trailer....It looks great the way it is!

 

[scottishpinz]

Dakar Winer 1980

I believe the Paris Dakar wining truck of 1980 was the test bed for the Audi Quattro and as such had the 2.1l 5 cylinder turbo engine, so not quite "standard"

Here's that truck in the VW museum in Wolsburg, I was there in 2007

 

[rezdiver]

I believe the Paris Dakar wining truck of 1980 was the test bed for the Audi Quattro and as such had the 2.1l 5 cylinder turbo engine, so not quite "standard"

Here's that truck in the VW museum in Wolsburg, I was there in 2007

I dont think so. the Dakar Iltis was stock 4 cylinder engine. not much room to fit a 5 cylinder. they probably modified the 4 cylinder for performance bit they did not do a complete engine change.
and i believe there was a total of 4 iltis running the 1980 race.

the audi Quattro drivetrain and tranny were based on the Iltis design, not the engine.

 

[rezdiver]

That is super cool and very hard to find here in CA.
I wouldn't restore your trailer....It looks great the way it is!

thanks,
i might just get rid of the rust once i get some time so she doesnt rot away but its hard to keep her shiny. i keep reading the trailer thread on the forum and look at everyones restorations which are very nice, but i would be afraid to use the trailer after all the work i see being put into restoring these trailers.

 

[scottishpinz]

Sorry rezdiver you are right, Audi did development work on the vehicle but tuned the existing engine to 110 bhp. There was no written info about the vehicle at the Wolsburg museum which was a shame as for me an Audi Quattro fan it was a really important "VW" Another really interest vehicle that I saw there was the prototype syncro based on a bay window van!

 

[rezdiver]

no worries at all, i am just busting any myths about these trucks, best one so far is that it floats.

these are great trucks in basic stock form and dont really need anything. i have been playing with mine for a while and was contemplating suspension lifts, body lifts, more power, bigger tires, etc.. you know, the mods everyone wants to do to their trucks right away. after wheeling it a bit, there would be nearly no benifit to any of those mods. it has such a short wheel base and short travel suspension that it just bounces and rolls over all the obstacles, hard on the back sometimes but better seats took care of that. i put on larger tires 31" from the stock 29's and lost my low gearing which made driving it a pain, went back to 29's and love it.
she is not a rock crawler by any means but keeps up on most of the trails nicely. and its a blast to drive. the stock engine that came with mine was 75HP gas engine. i believe the german model had the 75HP diesel engine

 

[rezdiver]

couple of Truck-lite LEd lights added for effect.

 

[winkosmosis]

That is an awesome little truck. Nice tire choice- perfect for a retro military vehicle.