The Ñandú was an

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...

4×4 Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to 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 ...

military light utility vehicle. Taking inspiration from the Willys 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 committed Dirección de Materiales to develop and build prototype models to supply the Force. The first vehicle was named "Ñandú" (from greater rhea). Project and construction were supervised by engineer Martín Reuter, working at the Esteban De Luca workshop in Buenos Aires. As there were no manuals or materials to build a four-wheel drive system, the unit was equipped with a two-wheel drive taken from a

DKW DKW (''Dampf-Kraft-Wagen'', en, "steam-powered car", also ''Deutsche Kinder-Wagen'' en, "German children's car". ''Das-Kleine-Wunder'', en, "the little wonder" or ''Des-Knaben-Wunsch'', en, "the boy's wish"- from when the company built to ...

. Reuter also designed the 3-speed

transmission Transmission may refer to: Medicine, science and technology * Power transmission ** Electric power transmission ** Propulsion transmission, technology allowing controlled application of power *** Automatic transmission *** Manual transmission *** ...

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

crankshaft A crankshaft is a mechanical component used in a piston engine to convert the reciprocating motion into rotational motion. The crankshaft is a rotating shaft containing one or more crankpins, that are driven by the pistons via the connecting ...

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 A ministry of economy, ministry of commerce, ministry of economic affairs or department of commerce is a part of the government in most countries that is responsible for matters related to the economy or economic policy. List Examples of such mini ...

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 ...

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