4×4S.ORGTHE REGISTRY BASE MODEL · 1941–44
BASE MODELGermany

Type 166 Schwimmwagen (1941–44)

The most-produced amphibious car in history: 15,584 built between 1941 and 1944 — 14,276 at Fallersleben and 1,308 by Porsche at Stuttgart — with a 1,131 cc air-cooled flat-four of 25 hp, ZF self-locking differentials front and rear, rear portal axles, and four-wheel drive engaged only in first gear and reverse.

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Sources & evidence
Type 166 Schwimmwagen (1941–44) — Ferdinand Porsche saw the potential of an amphibious version of the VW Type 82 Kubelwagen. The German army was searching for a vehicle which would perform in diSicnag · CC BY 2.0 ↗
MODEL LINEWartimeBUILT BYVolkswagenwerk, Fallersleben, Porsche, StuttgartPRODUCED1941–44PRODUCTION15,584LAYOUT4 wheels · 79″

The record

The Type 166 came out of the Type 128 prototype and shared its mechanicals with the Kübelwagen and the Kommandeurswagen. A propeller swung down at the back for water, where it managed 10 km/h against 80 km/h on land; the hulls were pressed by Ambi Budd in Berlin. It is 3.825 m long on a 2.00 m wheelbase.

Specification

MANUFACTURED1941–44
ENGINE1,131 cc air-cooled flat-four, 25 hp at 3,000 rpmVolkswagen 1,131 cc flat-four
PRODUCTION RUN15,584 (14,276 Fallersleben, 1,308 Porsche)
COUNTRY OF ORIGINGermany
STATUSout of production
RECORD KINDBase model
MODEL LINEWartime
FAMILYWartime
WHEELS4
NOMINAL WHEELBASE79″
BODY STYLEAmphibious open
VARIANTS1

Catalogue fields describe the vehicle's structure and body as this registry records it. They are not certified factory measurements, and no performance figures are published here.

Body styles & colours

Factory colours

  • Dunkelgelb
  • Panzergrau

Codes on hover. Hex values are representative approximations of period paint unless a source states a measured value.

AI rendering impression

An AI rendering impression starts from a 3D model of this vehicle, which an image model then paints into a scene. It is an artist's impression of the type, made to give a feel for the vehicle in its element — not a photograph, and not a record of any particular vehicle.

Proportions, fittings, markings, colours and the setting can all drift from the original in the process. For the vehicle's actual details, rely on the specification, the photographs and the cited sources on this page.

Sources

  1. 1Volkswagen Schwimmwagen ↗Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-23SOURCE

Registry record updated 2026-09-23 · status: researched