The Ñandú was an

Argentine Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...

4×4 A four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, is a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case pro ...

military light utility vehicle Military light utility vehicle, or simply light utility vehicle (LUV), is a term used for the lightest weight class military vehicle category. A Jeep (disambiguation)#Jeep-like vehicles, Jeep-like four-wheel drive vehicle for military use by defin ...

. Taking inspiration from the

Willys Willys (pronounced , "Willis") was a brand, brand name used by Willys–Overland Motors, an American automobile company, founded by John Willys, John North Willys. It was best known for its design and production of World War II–era Willys MB, ...

MB, it was developed by the "Dirección de Materiales" in 1943 for employment by the local Army. Only four prototypes were built, with the project being finally dismissed.Un "jeep" argentino: el Nandú
on Zona Militar, 28 Jun 2020
on INSTITUTO NACIONAL JUAN DOMINGO PERON

Overview

The

Argentine Army The Argentine Army () is the Army, land force branch of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic and the senior military service of Argentina. Under the Argentine Constitution, the president of Argentina is the commander-in-chief of the Armed For ...

committed Dirección de Materiales to develop and build prototype models to supply the Force. The first vehicle was named "Ñandú" (from

greater rhea The greater rhea (''Rhea americana'') is a species of flightless bird native to eastern South America. Other names for the greater rhea include the grey, common, or American rhea; ema (Portuguese (language), Portuguese); or ñandú (Guaraní lang ...

). Project and construction were supervised by engineer Martín Reuter, working at the Esteban De Luca workshop in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

. As there were no manuals or materials to build a

four-wheel drive A four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, is a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case pr ...

system, the unit was equipped with a

two-wheel drive Two-wheel-drive (2WD) denotes vehicles with a drivetrain that allows two wheels to be driven, and receive power and torque from the engine, simultaneously. Four-wheeled vehicles For four-wheeled vehicles (and by extension, vehicles with six, ...

taken from a

DKW DKW (''Dampfkraftwagen'', – the same initials later also used for ''Des Knaben Wunsch'', ; ''Das Kleine Wunder'', and ''Deutsche Kinderwagen'', ) was a German car- and motorcycle-marque. DKW was one of the four companies that formed Auto U ...

. Reuter also designed the 3-speed

transmission Transmission or transmit may refer to: Science and technology * Power transmission ** Electric power transmission ** Transmission (mechanical device), technology that allows controlled application of power *** Automatic transmission *** Manual tra ...

. The engine was entirely manufactured in Argentina at "Fundiciones Santini" factory while the

crankshaft A crankshaft is a mechanical component used in a reciprocating engine, piston engine to convert the reciprocating motion into rotational motion. The crankshaft is a rotating Shaft (mechanical engineering), shaft containing one or more crankpins, ...

was built from a Siemens Martin iron piece.Nandú
on Cocha Argentino (archived, 30 Apr 2006) The prototype was tested on 11 September 1945. One year later, the manufacturers requested Ministry of Economy permission to start serial production of the ''Ñandú'' but it was not allowed. The Ministry alleged that Argentina was importing

Willys MB The Willys MB and the Ford GPW, both formally called the U.S. Army truck, ton, 4×4, command reconnaissance, commonly known as the Willys Jeep, Jeep, or jeep, and sometimes referred to by its List of U.S. military vehicles by supply catalog des ...

vehicles from Belgium at US700 per unit, which was cheaper than producing the Ñandú. Only 4 prototypes were produced, with three of them being auctioned by Banco Municipal. Reuter bought one of these models and then gifted it to one of his collaborators in the project. Apart from the Ñandú, Reuter constructed another prototype, named "Nahuel", also dismissed.El Ñandú, vehículo multipropósito para el Ejército
on Autohistoria (archived, 3 Jun 2009)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nandu (vehicle) Military light utility vehicles Military equipment of Argentina World War II military equipment of Argentina Vehicles introduced in 1945 Military trucks of Argentina

Overview

See also

References