Leave The 911 Cabrio At Home And Drop The Top On This 1955 Porsche 597 Jagdwagen

Porsche is working on a new 911 Safari / Dakar, but collectors will want to check out this 1955 Type 597 Jagdwagen prototype, which will be auctioned by RM Sotheby’s next month.

Set to be offered at the company’s jam-packed Monterey auction, this particular model is the fifth prototype that was produced by Porsche between January 1954 and December 1955.

As RM Sotheby’s notes, 22 military prototypes were built – including two reportedly equipped with propellers and oars – as the company was trying to secure a contract with the German Army. While the model reportedly performed well in testing, they decided to select Auto Union’s DKW Munga instead.

Also Read: Forget The Cayenne And Macan, The Type 597 Was Porsche’s First Off-Roader

Despite this setback, Porsche continued to market the 597 to foreign militaries and hunters. The latter gave birth to its nickname of “Jagdwagen,” which is German for hunting car or hunting wagon.

However, the model didn’t find much success as only 71 Type 597s were built and only around 50 survive today. Thankfully, this particular example escaped the crusher. Regardless of what Porsche used it for, the vehicle was eventually sold to a Porsche-Volkswagen distributor in April of 1956.

Since then, it has undergone an amazing restoration as the listing notes it features the “period-correct Olive Green livery of the German military” as well as a matching green interior. They’re joined by canvas side curtains and a convertible top as well as a “correct” 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine paired to a four-speed manual as well as a selectable four-wheel-drive system.

Porsche paid tribute to the 597 a few years ago and noted the model weighed 1,918 lbs (870 kg) and featured a modified version of the four-cylinder engine that resided in the 356. The latter developed around 50 hp (36 kW / 50 PS) and enabled the off-roader to hit a top speed of up to 62 mph (100 km/h). While the 597 wasn’t fast, it could float as well as climb grades of up to 65 percent.