This 1942 Volkswagen Kubelwagen might not be the type of wagon we usually feature on Wagon Wednesday, but this is one rare find. The seller claims it was recently discovered hiding in a barn in Austria. It has since been pulled from the barn and shipped to the United Kingdom. It is going to need a complete restoration, but if you’re interested in taking on this historic project, it can be found here on eBay.

The Kubelwagen was the German equivalent of the American Military’s Jeep. Unlike the heavy duty Jeep, the lightweight Kubelwagen was based on the Beetle. Even though it lacks four wheel drive, it proved to be very capable on even the roughest terrain.

The 1.0 liter air cooled engine was pulled straight from the Beetle and helped to keep weight down. This boxer four only put out 25 hp, but this proved adequate given the 1,500 pound curb weight. When paired with a ZF self-locking differential, the rear mount design proved to be a great combination and helped to make up for the lack of four wheel drive.

These vehicles are very rare and are becoming extremely difficult to come by. This one needs a lot of work, but thankfully they are quite simple. Rust looks to be this one’s biggest issue, but given that most of the body is flat it shouldn’t be too hard to fix. This wagon is an important part of history and hopefully someone will save it!