In 1936 the German Wehrmacht put out a tender for a lightweight cross-country utility vehicle. Many German companies responded to with vehicles for consideration.DKW presented a military version of their DKW Schwebeklasse / DKW 4=8, however these vehicles were entirely unsuited to the rigors of military use due to their chassis-less plywood box construction, not to mention being powered by the unreliable V4 two-stroke motor.
Vidal and Sohn presented one of the most interesting vehicles in the Tempo G1200 Gelanderwagen. Powered by two 600cc twin-cylinder two-stroke motors, one mounted at the front, the other in the rear, mounted upon a surprisingly agile tube chassis, with four wheel steering. The G1200 was outstandingly maneuverable and able to traverse the roughest terrain, but after successful trials were rejected by the Wehrmacht due to their prejudice towards two-stroke engines.Vidal and Sohn were confident enough to put the G1200 into production regardless and found a promising market in many countries outside of Germany.
Tempo G1200 photos and articles: https://tempohanseat.blogspot.com/2013/07/tempo-g1200-all-terrain-vehicle.html
Framo, Jorge Rasmussen's tricycle and light commercial manufacturer, also threw its hat in the ring for the Wehrmacht contract. The MV "Sachsen" was of very basic and lightweight construction, The driver was oddly seated centrally with two passengers seated on bucket seats behind. The MV was powered by an air-cooled DKW twin-cylinder engine of 600cc capacity. Lack of a radiator meant the bonnet could be extremely small, contributing to the vehicle's unorthodox appearance. While the vehicles light weight meant it had decent cross-country handling, the MV - much like the Tempo G1200 - had no chance with the Wehrmacht. Unlike the Tempo G1200 though, the MV found no market and never went into production. No vehicles survive.
The eventual winner of the Wehrmacht contract was the small manufacturer, Stoewer. Stoewer had been building motor cars since 1899 but always remained a small concern. The Great Depression hit the company hard, forcing them to scale back production of their large, conventional cars. They obtained a license for the production of Tatra T75 cars from Rohr, who had recently gone bankrupt. The Stoewer Greif Junior (Greif meaning Griffon), would become their most popular selling car, with over 4,000 built. Stoewer responded to the Wehrmacht's tender with the LEPKW (Leicher Einheits-PKW, i.e. light standard car). Light weight, with four-wheel steering like the Tempo G1200, but powered by a conventional four-cylinder four-stroke motor of 1.8 litre capacity, the Stoewer received the green light from the Wehrmacht. 11,000 would be built from 1936 to 1944.
For more Stoewer History: https://tatrat600.blogspot.com/2021/10/1935-stoewer-greif-junior-tatra-under.html
