Universal Soldier

The Mercedes-Benz Unimog is an incredible vehicle, suitable for myriad tasks.

- Steev Hayes

It was the legendary Land Rover brand which coined the phrase ‘The best 4x4 by far,’ and that possibly still holds true today, although the vehicle the slogan actually applied to – namely the series/ Defender – has since ceased production.

Now, equally legendary vehicle manufacturer Unimog, part of the Daimler Benz empire, is embarking upon a drive to increase interest, and ultimately sales, of its multifunctional vehicles here in the UK.

The Unimog was originally conceived right after the Second World War when, like the rest of Europe, Germany was desperate to get back on its feet and had to get its agricultural industry up and running to feed its people. Farmers needed a vehicle which was versatile enough to cover the myriad tasks they had to perform. The Unimog was just such a vehicle; a cross between a tractor, harvester, truck and car. The first Unimog rolled Course included deep wading lake. off the production line in Unimog has up to 1946, but was a shadow 1.2 m wading of the vehicle it has depth capability become. The original version was considerably smaller than current models. It had a short wheelbase, 4x4 drivetrain and was basically a simple pickup truck with canvas-covered cab and drop-side load bed. It could travel across virtually any surface – road or field – and maintain a speed of 50 kmh. It had a narrow track of just 1270 mm, which corresponded to the spacing between two rows of potatoes.

These little wonders – first produced at Erhard & Söhne and then at Boehringer – were powered by Mercedes-Benz engines from 1947. The company was taken over by Daimler Benz in 1951, after which they were badged with the three-pointed star.