This 1940 REX Dreirad by the Willy Ostner company of Brand-Erbisdorf, Germany resembles the familiar Goliath GD750 in many ways, but predates the more familiar model by nine years. Said to start and stop, this is one of the most basic work trucks we’ve ever seen. Find it here on eBay in Bretnig-Hauswalde, Germany for 6k euros (~$6,600 USD today). Special thanks to BaT reader Kyle K. for this submission.

Though it features mixed wood/metal construction and the correct number of wheels, little else about this truck will get it confused with a Morgan three-wheeler. Per the seller, sheet metal is not rusty, though paint appears rather rough. The lighting layout is interesting, with round headlights mounted unusually far back on the cowl. The wooden bed appears to be in decent shape, though stripping and repainting or varnishing would go a long way towards refreshing the appearance of the truck. The rectangular tail lights look much too modern to be original, but probably provide useful extra light output.

With its flat dash and exposed steering column support bracket, this is about as basic as vehicles get. Only a single gauge is fitted in the dash, and it doesn’t appear as if it was designed to fit more. The seat and inner doors appear to be upholstered, though the rest is intentionally bare.

The Willy Ostner company produced some larger trucks which were used by the German military during the Second World War, and usually featured Ford Eiffel or DKW power. This trike is apparently fitted with a 195cc single, likely sourced from one of the company’s motorcycles. Using a combined generator/starter, the translated German text says that the truck runs, drives and stops, but goes on to add that electrics need unspecified work. We’re not 100% sure, but we think the provided info also notes that it must be push-started as-is.

European light trucks from the 1930s through the late 50s are interesting due to the wide variety of bodystyles, chassis configurations and powerplants experimented with, and a combination of clever engineering and austere economies often produced interesting results. This small single could be a very fun about-town runabout or parts runner.