<VV> Munga (No Corvair)

[Bill Elliott]

I was surprised by the number of "instant" inquires I received on the Munga, so I 
decided to send a quick non-Corvair email to the VV. I apologize for the bandwidth for 
those of you not at all interested.
Audi and three other German automobile manufacturers (Horsch, Wanderer, DKW) 
combined their technical and financial resources to form the Auto Union. It was later 
purchased by Daimler-Benz and then later by VW.
The Munga (or Cross Country as it was sometimes marketed) was an attempt by the 
new company to provide a light reliable multipurpose vehicle as an alternative to the US 
Jeep or British Land Rover.
It used the same engine (in slightly detuned form) as the other DKW and Auto Union 
cars of the era: the 980cc three cylinder two stroke with a single carb and a dual range 
full time dual range 4WD system. (This is the same basic engine that DKW sold to both 
SAAB and Trabant... though the Trabbie used it in a two cylinder "loose specification" 
form from 1958 to 1991!)
http://www.munga-ig.de/mungaig/frameset/frameset%20Englisch.htm
<http://www.armymotorcars.com/html/auto-union_0.html>
<http://www.armymotorcars.com/html/auto-union.html>
It's the only vehicle where I've seen specifications listed in the sales brochure about 
what height of stairs the vehicle could climb!
After VW bought the company, the Munga was replaced by the Iltis... 
<http://www.zauster.com/volkswagen/iltisinfo.htm>
...which shared the basic Munga body but had a VW four cylinder four stroke engine... 
and a revised Munga gearbox which had a center differential (as opposed to a transfer 
case), making it the first AWD drivetrain I'm aware of.
This engine/gearbox then found its way in the Audi 4000 platform... and thus the 
quattro was born and ralley history was written (though the "prestige" ur-quattro had a 
turbocharged intercooled 5 cylinder to justify its Ferrari 308 selling price). 
I had a Munga when I was in Chicago (as well as a couple ur-quattros), but sold it when 
I moved (it was a rust bucket). I don't have pix up of the one I had nor the one I just 
bought (not a rust bucket), but I do have pix up of my copy of one of their other failed 
competitors... Austin's attempt to get in on the small utility vehicle market with the 
1958 Gipsy (2.2L Austin engine with dual range part time 4wd):
http://fnader.com/images/Austin_Gipsy/
Corvair content: The traction of the Corvair (and the ready availability of the Jeep) was 
so good, these sorts of vehicles really didn't make make it in the US!
Bill