Ilitis

[Reg Peabody]

Read the bit about no Land Rovers in Canada. Never heard of "Ilitis" before can anyone enlighten me, pic's etc.
Thanks Reg

[Dana Nield]

I'm going from memory so please correct me if I stray....

VW designed and built Iltis' (Wolverine) for the German Army until the early eighties. At that point the Germans switched to the Mercedes G-Wagon. Canada needed a replacement for the M151s and chose the Iltis. Production equipment and rights were purchased by Bombardier.

In a very Canadian manner, twenty some years later, the Iltis is being replaced by G-Wagons...

http://www.iltis.ca/

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

Have been in the damned things, hate them. My 1953 M38A1 had far more going for it...

I hope to have a chap here shortly who can brief you in detail on Iltis; he spent enough time in the field riding/pushing the thing...

[T19]

Hi Reg, I have been in the Iltis since it first joined the CF.

So far on its history is correct. Except that when Bombardier build the Canadian version they did some interresting changes. The metal is thinner so like a pop or beer can, with just normal useage and driving x-country the unibody frame cracks and breaks. They used Teflon in the tie rods, resulting in early wear in the mud and sand

Also they took the VW engine, and took out the expensive fuel injection and replaced it with a carb...resulting in the engine running hot and increasing down time.

The thing could not mount a weapon for self defense.

And when you shut down the engine to listen for the enemy.. about 10 seconds later, the electric fan started up and it is noisy. Turn off the engine you say? The fan still starts up :

Getting into the front seats is nice.... if your over 5ft 5, you don't want to get in the back... also against the Geneva Accords to put a PW back there

Going X-country is fair, not good. Its a great veh for an LO, no good for fighting troops...glad it see it go.

Now my old 1970 pattern CJ5 was a nice Recce veh

hope that helps.

Andrew

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally posted by Reg Peabody
Never heard of "Ilitis" before can anyone enlighten me, pic's etc.

Reg,

Try my VW 183 site.

Regards,
Hanno

[Terence Mcgaughey]

Ah , the Iltis .Good tires , comfortable front seats def not the back ones .Noisy piece of kit for Recce work only way to kill the fan was to shut off master switch down on the floor by your left foot . If you are up close to one look behind the front seats for the cracks on either sides of the vehicle .The only fuel pump that could be counted on to work was one from an APC and the
exaust pipe has more twists than a crooked politican . Plus don't ever accidently stand on the windshield and frame ( in a hide or trying to look over a crest ) as the bloody things cost a fortune to fix .Get a sheet of plywood to prevent that happening . Add in that carb that can flood and go on fire and it's quite a veh for 35 k CDN when new.
That all said considering it's 1986 vintage the
maintainers have done an excellent job making it last this long . Also the look on a tankers crew commanders face when that bush next to him suddenly fires up , jumps through the tank track ( remember those cracks )and disappears
over the crest is well worth it .

[Garry Shipton (RIP)]

Terence,
There's one one long blcck away from where I live here in Green Field Park Quebec.Hasn't moved in two years,I wonder why?