You won’t hear Willem badmouthing his indestructible Steyr-Puch Pinzgauer. (Apart from a mutter or two about how thirsty it is ...)

He bought the first-generation Pinz because it was an early prototype of numerous legendary vehicles. Willem says it’s not without reason that earlier versions of the Mercedes-Benz Geländewagen were known as the Mercedes-Benz Puch ...

According to Willem it will literally take you anywhere, and it has surprising torque because the gearing is so low (“if you loaded a ton on the back to give it traction, you’d be able to plough with it”).

And it cruises easily at 80-90 km/h, which is fast enough when you’re on holiday.

The vehicle weighs 2 tons, but it’s geared to tow up to 5 tons. “Remarkable!”
When people see the vehicle for the first time, their reaction is always the same:
First question: “What kind of a truck is this?”
Second question: “A what?”
Third question: “Did you build it yourself?”
Fourth question: “What engine does it have?”
Fifth question: “Can it float?”

People always expect a booming noise when it starts, and then look a little disappointed when they have to listen closely to hear the engine idle. (The Pinz almost sounds like an idling Beetle, but without the distinctive whistling.)

What is the vehicle’s history?
It was manufactured by the Austrian firm Steyr-Daimler-Puch in Graz, Austria. (Nowadays, the Mercedes-Benz Geländewagen is manufactured in the same factory.) The Pinzgauer is the “big brother” of the well-known Steyr Puch Haflinger.

Initially it belonged to the Swiss army, and I know of at least two other owners before me. I bought it from a retired shipping engineer from Malgas. He restored a few Haflingers before buying the Pinz. Mechanically the vehicle is 100% original.

What lurks under the bonnet?
It has a 2.5-litre four-cylinder air-cooled Steyr-Puch petrol engine and a fixed tubular chassis and sealed drive train – that means the central driveshaft and differentials run inside a solid metal tube, which also serves as the vehicle’s chassis, onto which the bodywork is simply bolted.

I speak under correction, but I think the engine was designed in collaboration with Porsche.

The vehicle was designed for off-roading: 35 cm ground clearance; heavy-duty independent coil springs front and rear; limiting straps on all the wheels; portal axles; an approach and departure angle of 45˚; hydraulic diff locks (front, middle and rear) that can be activated at any speed slower than 45 km/h; a 9.5 m turning circle and 90 cm immersion depth.

On the odometer?
The odometer only goes to 99 999 km, and who knows how many times it has clocked over.

How much did it cost? R130 000

Where have you been with it? All the places where Cruisers and Patrols can’t go!

Your dream destination? We are planning a trip to Tanzania.

Repairs up to now? Absolutely nothing – only the regular maintenance.

Modifications?
Once again, absolutely nothing. We only added jerry cans. The Pinz is in a class of its own and it doesn’t need any modifications to improve its off-road ability.

Breakdowns? Never. But having said that, there isn’t really anything that can go wrong. Everything operates mechanically and there’s the minimum of electronics.

Where do you have it serviced?
The mechanics are extremely simple because as a military vehicle it was designed to be easily serviceable in the field. I service it myself because it is really a toy.

Obviously I can’t do everything myself, and sometimes go to the guys who work on air-cooled engines (such as Beetles, older Porsche 911s and VW Kombis) for help.

The engine uses quite a few Porsche and Volkswagen components, which are of course cheaper than the original Steyr-Puch parts.

However, it’s not a problem to get hold of original parts. For instance, I recently replaced the clutch with original Sachs parts – the Swiss army phased out the Pinzgauer and has large quantities of surplus parts that it sells to the public through a middleman. Later models of Pinzgauers came with a 2.5-litre watercooled VW diesel engine – VW should therefore be able to work on the diesels.

What do you like about it?
It is simple and special (I only know of five in South Africa).

And what don’t you like?
It is quite noisy on the road and you can’t lock it.

Would you tour through Africa in it?
Of course; the problem is just to clear two months off my diary to make the trip.

If you could change anything?
Nobody touches the Pinz! It already has veteran status and I’d like to keep it that way.

If it were someone famous?
Koos de la Rey – reliable, always willing and it does its thing in its own special way.
 
With R10 000 …
I’d buy petrol. The two Zenith carburettors are extremely thirsty (5-7 km/litre if I drive carefully).