Kübelwagen

The designation Kübelwagen or Kübelsitzwagen can be traced back to the beginning of the development of off-road military cars. In order to achieve the lowest possible weight, the doors were omitted on some models. They were replaced by tarpaulins or were omitted entirely. So that the occupants do not fall out of the vehicle while driving, bucket seats have been installed to give the driver and front passenger a better grip. These seats were colloquially known as "bucket" due to their tub-like shape and the vehicles in which they were installed as "bucket seat car" or "bucket car" for short. In the course of time, this name became a synonym for all vehicles of this type, regardless of whether they still had bucket seats or not. Among other things, the VW type 82 is associated with the designation "Kübelwagen" ; but it is much older and not manufacturer-specific.