STEYR-PUCH PINZGAUER

PINZGAUER army troop carriers have been released by the Swiss Army. Built in the seventies by Steyr-Puch of Austria, of legendary firearms fame, and manufacturer of the Mercedes G Wagon. They are tough, very sure footed, can be used to haul freight or people on or off road, and are easy to handle. They are about the size of a VW mini bus and can easily be parked in a normal size garage. They have had excellent care by the Swiss Army and are truly the Swiss Army knife of military and off road vehicles.They come complete with comprehensive owner's/operator's manual (in English), tools, jack, wheel chains, tow cable, shovel, emergency road warning sign, spare wheel and tire, and five gallon gas can. After they arrive from Switzerland all fluids are checked and they go through are very detailed mechanical and safety check.

PINZGAUERS can be comfortably driven on the highway at 60-65 mph and have a top speed of 70 or more, depending on tire size. They come with a 2.5 litre four cylinder air cooled, fully water proof industrial engine that produces 90 horsepower and runs on regular low octane pump gas, a five speed synchromesh gearbox, hi and low transfer case, on-the-fly 4 wheel drive, fully locking front and rear differentials, independent front and rear axles with retaining straps to confine axle travel within safe specifications, and a 20 gallon fuel tank. They have fully retractable shoulder/lap seat belts, for both driver and passenger. They are very impressive off road, have a very tight turning radius, and in 4wd with both axles locked, they will go places where Hummers and Jeeps fear to tread. They have 16" ground clearance from wheel to wheel and a very low center of gravity. The 4X4s are 13' long, 5'8" wide, 6'8" tall, have an 87" wheelbase, weigh 4300 lbs. and can haul an additional 2200 lbs. of cargo, truly a beast of burden! The soft tops are easily and quickly rolled up or removed and can be reinstalled quickly as well. If the sides are rolled up, they can be unrolled and fastened in a matter of minutes. The front doors can be quickly converted to half doors, or completely taken off. There is considerably more leg, hip, and shoulder room, and cargo area than in a Hummer. Seats in the cargo area (for six Sumo wrestlers or up to ten normal size people) can be folded down, creating a 7'4' x 5'2" flat diamond plated area with additional storage area under that platform. Most still have original paint, but do have paint touch ups that may not exactly match the original paint color.

The most popular configuration is the 710M 4x4 soft top. The 4x4 is also available in hard top versions, which originally were communication trucks, but are quite rare. THey are the same size as the soft tops, are somewhat heavier and thus a little slower, and have a gas fired auxiliary heater in the passenger compartment. Also available is a soft top 712M 6x6 with two rear axles. THey are 2'6" longer than the 4x4. These are even more off road capable than the 4x4s. as they have 6 wheels, all off which can be locked.

PINZGAUERS are inexpensive and fun to drive, are tough and reliable with parts readily available, are easily maintained, and are an excellent "bang for the buck" value.

The Swiss Army's inventory of these vehicles is rapidly depleting. Currently we cannot obtain any more 4x4s, and 6x6s with rear seats are becoming difficult to find. Because of that, and the weakness of the dollar, prices have shot up and we have had to pay 40% more than we did just a few years ago. Our vehicles are priced from $15,00 to $24,000. We have one of the largest inventories in the US, including 4x4 soft tops, 4x4 hard tops, and 6x6 soft tops, but further purchases are becoming less certain, both from an availability and pricing standpoint. Fortunately the availabliity of spare parts will continue to be excellent.