The 1979 Volkswagen Iltis Porsche 597 Jagdwagen is a Porsche car that has many names. Another name for the Volkswagen Iltis is Porsche 597 Jagdwagen, which roughly translates to “hunting car.” While the vehicle goes by different aliases, Ferdinand Porsche was the original owner. At some point, Porsche abandoned it on a farm for many years. Based on the history of both cars, this particular version is more Volkswagen Iltis than Porsche 597 Jagdwagen, but the history is still remarkable.

The 1979 Volkswagen Iltis Porsche 597 Jagdwagen

The heritage of this vehicle is a bit confusing. According to the listing on Getyourclassic, this vehicle is a Volkswagen Iltis Porsche 597 Jagdwagen. The Volkswagen Type 183 was also known as the Iltis, which was a Volkswagen military vehicle at the time. The Canadian company, Bombardier, made 2,500 vehicles for the Canadian forces and 2,673 cars for the Belgian Army.

Volkswagen produced this vehicle from 1984 through 1988, during which time VW produced the Type 183 and Type 181 simultaneously. VW shipped some of these vehicles to Cameroon and Oman at the time. However, this vehicle was essentially one of a kind due to the owner. There are fewer of the Porsche 597 Jagdwagen produced.

A Volkswagen Iltis Porsche 597 Jagdwagen for Ferdinand Porsche

Volkswagen created this particular Iltis as a civilian vehicle. It was made explicitly for Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, aka “Butzi.” As seen in the original registration paperwork, Ferdinand Porsche was the first owner of the vehicle. Porsche registered the Iltis on March 7, 1979, in Zell am See, Austria. The vehicle lived in the area and was long forgotten in a Farmhouse in Austria. When the farmhouse went up for sale, the owner found the Volkswagen Iltis Porsche 597 Jagdwagen.

Since it lived unattended on a farm for so many years, the Iltis needs a complete restoration. Included in the auction is another shell in better shape. According to the listing, the technical and electronic components likely require a total replacement. The owner did not start the for many years and it currently does not start. There are many other bits and pieces included in the auction.

A historic vehicle up for auction

In an article from Autoweek from 2017, Porsche made the 597 Jagdwagen a light-duty army-transportation vehicle. It was to be similar to the American Jeep. It had a simple engine and body design, with a lightweight body that made it easy to take off-road. Porsche made 49 of these to civilian spec. Only about 15 of these vehicles still exist out of about 71 total.

According to the auction, these are the specifics of the vehicle. It is a 1979 Volkswagen Iltis, Type 183-55. It currently lives in Renkum, in the Netherlands. The estimated price of the auction is €19000 to €21000, which is between $22,000 and $25,000. A buyer placed one bid for $4,394 (€3700) at the time of publication.

Bring A Trailer sold a similar 1983 VW Type 183 Iltis for $7,000 back in 2019. That vehicle was arguably in better shape. While the vehicle needs a lot of work, the 1979 Volkswagen Iltis Porsche 597 Jagdwagen is a pretty cool piece of history.