The VW-Schwimmwagen (Porsche Type 166) was an amphibious vehicle used extensively by the German Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS during the Second World War. It was mechanically based on the Kübelwagen (which in turn was based on the civilian Volkswagen, later known as a VW Beetle), and was produced by the Volkswagen factory at Wolfsburg. Erwin Komenda, Ferdinand Porsche's first car body designer, developed the car body construction. Komenda patented his ideas for the swimming car at the German Patent office.
All Schwimmwagens were four wheel drive (even the earlier Type 128, based on the full-length Kübelwagen chassis (2.4 m (7.9 ft) wheelbase). The large-scale production models (Type 166) had a wheel-base of only 2.0 m (6.6 ft).
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