The bakkie that binds us

The bakkie is as proudly South African as boerewors and brandy. Sure, you'll find sausages, cognac and pickup trucks in other countries, but the bakkie is part of our culture.

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The world’s first-ever bakkie was the Daimler Motor Lastwagen (or motorised delivery truck), built in 1892 by Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft — the same company that would later become Mercedes-Benz.

It could carry 1.2 t, and its 1.5 ℓ two-cylinder engine produced 4.1 kW at 720 r/min, reaching a top speed of 12 km/h. Despite plenty of digging, we couldn't confirm whether one ever made it to South Africa, but it's certainly possible. An original example stands proudly today in the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany.