Maiden Drive of the Last Sd.Kfz. 222 Ausf.A 4.Serie in Existence

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Take a ride into history as we bring you exclusive footage of the maiden drive of the only remaining Leichter Panzerspähwagen Sd.Kfz. 222 Ausf.A 4.Serie left in the world. Completely restored to its original condition, this rare and historic vehicle has been brought back to life after years of careful restoration.
The Leichter Panzerspähwagen Sd.Kfz.222 Ausf.A, also known as the Sd.Kfz.222, was a German armoured car used extensively during World War II. Designed for reconnaissance missions, the Sd.Kfz.222 was known for its speed and agility, making it a valuable asset for the German military.
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We are a charitable organisation set up to preserve, restore and maintain historical military vehicles from both world wars, and to educate the public about their history. Our unique line-up of rare and important military vehicles, including tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, is considered one of the world's finest working collections.
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[@MatSpeedle]

This design still looks quite modern even today. Very nice restoration gents! Another piece of history saved for all to enjoy.

[@wealdfoundation]

Thank you.

[@darrenovenden569]

Congratulations to all involved with the restoration of this stunning vehicle! A true testament to your dedication to returning these vehicles to perfect running order and attention to detail however minute. Many thanks to the Weald foundation

[@wealdfoundation]

Thank you very much!

[@martinsawatdee]

❤

[@enyawrebbuj9458]

I second that.....brilliant job lads.....well done!!!!!

[@Nakai_the_Wanderer]

And some people say the Germans learned about the concept of angled armour plate from the T-34. They clearly did not, they always knew.

[@DovahFett]

Everyone did.

[@Nakai_the_Wanderer]

@@DovahFett true

[@cheesesniper473]

angling the armor significantly reduced the space in the cabin, so for some nations it was usually avoided. The sherman and grant tanks had pretty decently angled armor. The problem was the german guns advanced to the point it negated that angling. a sherman had no problem bouncing 50mm shells. The 75mm guns on the Pz Iv's tho...not so much. And then the 88 penned so well it sometimes overpenned and did no damage. *edit* - by no damage, i dont mean crew members, i mean servicable parts in the tank. As far as the german tank commander would be concerned, if a side hit didnt take out a sherman and it was still driving around, it probably needed to put another round downrange. There were accounts (only ever side on hits) where the fuse on the 88 shell would penetrate to the outside of the tank and explode, the delay fuse not going off until a predetermined amount of time or material is penetrated. A direct side on hit potentially would not take enough energy off of the round for it to detonate inside the tank. It would still be very perilous for the gunner and loader in either case.

[@H3llBaron]

Then Leopard 2 returned to Tiger 1 vertical armor

[@innacrisis6991]

The concept of angled armor has been around since the middle ages, quite possibly before that too. Take note of the pointed nature of a lot of knight's visors, this angling is specifically so that the armor deflects glancing blows instead of catching them.

[@Darrylx444]

I have a soft spot for this vehicle, ever since I made a model of it when I was a kid 45 years ago. Thanks very much for this excellent video.

[@flitsertheo]

That kit was probably a Tamiya 1/35th scale sdkfz 222 and it's still available (Ebay,...) should you want to indulge in some nostalgia.

[@wealdfoundation]

Glad you liked it!

[@lancerevell5979]

@@flitsertheo Amazon has the 222 and 223 kits. 66 now, and built them just a few months ago.

[@garyneilson1833]

Fantastic restoration

[@wealdfoundation]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@stoissdk]

Whether you like the looks of this vehicle or not, you still have to admire the effort that went into designing and assembling all the angled parts that goes into this one. That in an age where a simple boring "box" shape with large flat vertical or horizontal faces, would often be the starting point for any vehicle. Also, it seems like it was a bit head of its time when it comes to deflection of both projectiles and mine blasts :)

[@valicourt]

Amazing, the design is timeless. Well done on restoring it. History heroes

[@wealdfoundation]

Many thanks!

[@andrewmacdonald4833]

To own the only surviving type of anything is a privilege...well done for preserving such an incredible vehicle..

[@christopherboudreau2451]

They still look so badass even by todays standard

[@elforeigner3260]

Oh man, that’s a beauty!

[@drmarkintexas-400]

Thank you for sharing 🏆🤗🇺🇲🤗

[@wealdfoundation]

Thanks for watching!

[@StarwarsHalofreak]

The 222 is one of those designs that really was underappreciated in the years following the war, because if you look at it, it bears a resemblance to a number of modern combat vehicles in it's use of sloped armor to deflect small arms and shrapnel, even the actual body of the vehicle is shaped in a way that it could withstand an IED if it were made of the right materials.

[@lukaszslowakiewicz9395]

I am glad that they restored Lt. Gruber little tank.

[@michaelkaiser1864]

LOL!!! ALLO ALLO!!!!

[@Armor-Vehicles-History]

Awesome! And i did spot a rusty Jagdpanzer in the bushes....

[@HighlanderNorth1]

Despite being an 85+ year old design, with just a few very minor aesthetic changes, these would fit right into futuristic sci-fi space movies! It's baffling to me why more of these WW2 era wheeled armored off-road vehicles weren't kept and restored.

[@boloMK24]

Remember a movie called "The. Twilight Last Gleaming"? A WW2 Hetzer was painted light blue and used as a USAF TANK.

[@scottconlee2023]

Ppl rarely realize today's wreckage might have value in the future (especially on movie sets.) I doubt someone is in Ukraine collecting all the damaged vehicles - unless they plan on using them again in this current conflict.

[@razvananghel7492]

Wow..Thats craftsmanship right there. Congratulations and thank you for preserving these mechanical gems

[@joetheplumber5781]

Amazing work! This vehicle has such a futuristic design!

[@gundricsgamesandhistory.9450]

I'm assuming the hole is what knocked this vehicle out? Would love to know how it was found!

[@Nero_Karel]

Such a lovely vehicle - always loved the unique shape of its chassis. You did outstanding working restoring this gem to running order!

[@wealdfoundation]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@jerryjeromehawkins1712]

The side hatch on this beauty... coolest way yet to enter an AFV! 💥

[@SLICK-GLN]

Congratulations on a great restoration

[@wealdfoundation]

Thank you very much!

[@samharvey6194]

Love the design of the German armoured cars especially the big 8 wheeled ones

[@roycairns9357]

The design of this vehicle was well ahead of its time-if you put bubble tyres on it could be a moon buggy in a si-fi film 😮

[@fleuger99]

Great vid and a lovely restoration. Congrats and thanks.

[@wealdfoundation]

Thank you too!

[@28282222]

I’d love to see it go full throttle across a field etc.

[@Bigman0468]

Nice to see him running now 🤟🤟🤟

[@legocon2004]

What's with all the comments shitting on this I don't get it? Very interesting vehicle, I've always had a soft spot for the 222, thank you for sharing!

[@maxtrash5118]

It’s the internet everyone is an expert and thinks their opinion actually matters.

[@kunyaco11]

i think its because of War Thunder hahaha

[@flitsertheo]

As a model kit it's more fun to build than those large tanks

[@bmcg5296]

Wow, congratulations in restoring this armoured recon vehicle back to its former working order. 👏🏻⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@wealdfoundation]

Thank you very much!

[@bmcg5296]

@@wealdfoundation It’s so deserving the praise for all the dedication and unseen hours spent, on a unique project I’m sure many times you nearly regretted starting? Thankfully you all kept at it, and thank you for sharing with the wider community. This first of many many more to follow?

[@billy5179]

What a beauty.😍 The sound of the engine was awesome. Can i borrow it for going to the supermarket? 😆

[@Deathbyreality1]

I have never seen those indicators in action before just wow.

[@wealdfoundation]

No one has! :D

[@Ohtarcalina]

In german its called "Winker" (not Blinker ;-D)

[@lancerevell5979]

Building the models, I always wondered what those bits were. Now I know! 👍

[@Jacky-zt5ch]

Beautiful restoration

[@wealdfoundation]

Thank you very much!

[@rickglorie]

Suprised how modern it looks. The engine sound is what makes it dated.

[@StarwarsHalofreak]

The Germans really seemed to be onto something with the sloped armor. It's very reminiscent of some modern combat vehicles.

[@jeffkeith637]

I'd love to be angling this into my garage, too. Especially if I had to squeeze it past the StuG.

[@garethbarnes3680]

Historic military vehicles like this are incredible

[@wealdfoundation]

Thank you.

[@garfieldsmith332]

It is great to see such a vehicle running. A lot of time, effort and love got this machine back on the road. It looks so cramped and cumbersome I just wonder how awful it must have been to be in a combat areas in such a vehicle. It does seem terrifying to be in, let alone driving it. Well done on restoring it and sharing this video with everyone.

[@galloglas6907]

Just amazing gentlemen a mechanical work of art, living history preserved thank you.

[@wealdfoundation]

Our pleasure!

[@PeetHobby]

Is about 80 years old, amazing that you gus have one running.

[@markrunnalls7215]

What a Beauty ..of a vehicle ,really great to see ..

[@5thBeatle]

I built a 1:35 scale model of this when I was a teenager.

[@lancerevell5979]

I'm 66 now and retired. I built the Tamiya kit a few months back, along with the 223.

[@flitsertheo]

Shop around. Today there are quite a few other brands making the 222, 223 and other small armoured cars in 1/35 scale.

[@dannythomson5239]

the sdkfz-222 was my fave model kit to build as a wee boy, i liked this better than tigers panzer 4's panthers etc etc...something about all those lovely angled surfaces made it very different and more attractive from all the other ww-2 tanks armoured cars trucks etc.

[@flitsertheo]

Don't know how long ago that was but in the past you basically only had the Tamiya 1/35 scale models of the 222 and 223. Today there is a way larger choice of these and other German small armoured cars waiting to be built by you.

[@dannythomson5239]

@@flitsertheo i am thinking of the 1970's/80's

[@flitsertheo]

@@dannythomson5239 I was thinking of that period too. I only found a Lindberg Sd Kfz 222 from 1978 but it looks rather rough compared with the Tamiya one. Today Hobbyboss makes quite a few variants of the Sd Kfz 222 and 223.

[@Gr8thxAlot]

It's amazing how it has some similar looks to a Humvee.

[@scouseaussie1638]

Nothing like it

[@Gr8thxAlot]

@@scouseaussie1638 Liar. Look at the windshield area and turret. I see influence.

[@lancerevell5979]

Actually the Hortch car was much more like an HMMV.

[@carstenschroder7054]

There is plenty of ground clearance....and the vehicle is offroad capable, so those ramps to get out of the garage are....nice to have.😅

[@milo8425]

That was a bit hilarious.

[@wealdfoundation]

It was more for safety :)

[@toadfaceass]

Thats some crazy pitting on the metal work

[@lancerevell5979]

Very cool vehicle. I just recently built the Tamiya 1/35 scale model of this vehicle. Nice to see the real thing running.

[@wealdfoundation]

Thanks 👍

[@mr16ga]

I need one of these!

[@cdahdude51]

Why do Sd.Kfz. look so much cooler than even modern APCs?

[@mliittsc63]

1930s Germans were having an aesthetic moment. It happens. Why are most of the great classical composers German (speaking). They were having a moment. Why are a disproportionate number of classic rock bands British? They were having a moment.

[@MrCantStopTheRobot]

Clean lines.

[@vvanhellsingg]

The movement was Bauhaus. Form follows function.

[@milo8425]

Lack of safety equipment. It ruins everything.

[@iannock5948]

It just needs a mounted MG34!!!

[@fruckles]

My favorite non tank vehicle of WWII. ☕🥰🇺🇸

[@christianlee1693]

I'd make a magnet with a perfect shape to put on the hole as to keep road noise and dirt out

[@lesthiele4921]

Well done gentlemen, it's great to see vehicles like this still in existence and being restored, you must come down under and visit the Australian Armour and Artillery Museum and see the work they are doin, best regards from a Kiwi living in Australia 👍👍👍👍

[@zadzad4353]

I dnt envy all the business millionaire mens out there but i always envy the man who has the money,time,dedications,experiences and skills to owned and or get to play around with all military vehicles especially the vintages

[@hilarylouisdoyle9940]

The Weald Foundation is the World's leading Charity - dedicated to restoring historical vehicles.

[@BlueJean373]

Très belle auto blindé de reconnaissance Félicitations pour la rénovation Et l'entretien 😉👍👍👍

[@leandrorr5833]

Absolute awesome!!!

[@wealdfoundation]

Thank you.

[@guilhermesiffer4904]

Where is Lt. Gruber and his driver Clarence

[@stevenharsono9911]

Love to see the original Sdkfz-222

[@TheSavageRepairman]

Looks fantastic lads. The chassis and lower parts could stand a bit of tidying up with some Dunkle Greb. But overall, marvelous work.

[@jvt_redbaronspeaks4831]

Very cool. Glad there are organizations like yours trying to preserve history & historical vehicles. Subscribe.

[@Fellowsarragon]

Great desigin 🇩🇪 THX for Restauration.

[@emilioalcazar4170]

Awesome veteran looks ready to the fight again,good work!

[@spartancam-rs5ru]

Wow, stunning restoration. Have you considering contacting the tank museum to bring this down to tankfest? I'm sure people would love to see it driving around the arena

[@wealdfoundation]

Our 222 can be enjoyed in the near future by our Members at our facilities ;)

[@Twisty1979]

The real "Grubers little tank".

[@bfFAN221]

"Mein little tank!" Herr Gruber said, as some French Resistance moron runs it straight into the only public bathroom stalls in the village.

[@Wolfen443]

It was ahead of its time I guess the general light armored vehicle definition.

[@hokehinson5987]

Wunderbar! Looking forward to a guided tour of this scout vehicle especially drive train and inside compartments.... Cheers!

[@milanondrak5564]

It's Heir Gruber's Little Tank. Fantastic work folks.

[@craigpimlott204]

Is that Clarence driving it haha

[@casawi1986]

Any COH fan here.

[@sixfiveoutfitters1201]

Love the well-sloped armor of German vehicles.

[@LongTran-em6hc]

Tiger 1, panzer 3 and panzer 4 would like to talk with you

[@sixfiveoutfitters1201]

@@LongTran-em6hc Ha! Fair point. But you know what I mean....

[@paulbalogh4582]

Pop the clutch… “Norman , I thought you said you could drive a stick???”

[@estrambotic3488]

Amazing 😍

[@wealdfoundation]

Thanks 🤗

[@michaelguerin56]

Good work. Nice to see and hear the result.

[@rocketfishx3474]

Thanks for your hard work

[@BroodjeHAM666]

Will it eventually get a replica or a working flak 38 and mg aswell? Either way it’s such a good restoration! I absolutely love this vehicle!

[@thetreelander7378]

well if I'm not wrong as everything sounds like my country of the UK working is a pipe dream that i pine for but hopefully a replica if they have like permit.

[@MrNaKillshots]

Smashing vehicle.

[@mikeytee6821]

The engineering and design of this (as well as MOST German WW2 vehicles) is astounding! War time efforts from ALL fronts and countries pushed boundaries and, in the end, enhanced civilian technology and comfort. THIS is what angelina merkelova (that recent evil German MONARCH) was so ashamed of? History needs to be preserved, not ran away from, not scrapped, not hidden.

[@thepub245]

Feckin hell there's talk she's in the frame for the head of NATO job. 😳 The German armed forces fell to an arse when she was defence minister.

[@koenvangeleuken2853]

these things look good, but performed badly- according to an investigation by the wehrmacht, asking the users about their experiences with these (and other) vehicles. the 222 series turned out to be not combat ready (Fronttauglich). like many german vehicles, too complicated, fragile, and unreliable.

[@KFC1948]

​​​@@thepub245that is Ursula von der Leyen, not Angela Merkel. But in the end it makes no difference, as they are both pain in the ass ...😅

[@scrubsrc4084]

German engineering is the biggest myth of the 29th century.

[@milo8425]

@@koenvangeleuken2853 A tradition well preserved to this very day. Expensive, complicated, fragile and unreliable.

[@OptiPopulus]

1:26 at this rate we'll never be in Moscow..

[@jonathanbaron-crangle5093]

80km/h 4x4, it wasn't "slow"

[@lordterra1377]

It's a shame the 20mm and machine gun is missing. Where there no replicas available?

[@wealdfoundation]

We have original guns for it, just weren't fitted to move it. They are in storage.

[@eddherring4972]

3:51 is that the front of a JAGD Panther by the bushes?

[@TheGogeta222]

I think it could even be a Sturmtiger or Sturmmörser

[@eddherring4972]

@@TheGogeta222 are there any left? I’m fairly certain it’s a Panther but I get what you’re saying

[@TheGogeta222]

@@eddherring4972 i think there is at least one fully left but i cant remember where i saw it in the past its Just an theory but the Chassis Looks more Like a Sturmtiger to me than a jagtpanther

[@Alpostpone]

@@TheGogeta222 It's Jagdpanther. The upper slope goes way down, and it doesn't have the stepping that Sturmtiger has. Also, it has Jagdpanther's square mantlet hole. Sturmtiger's is round.

[@eddherring4972]

@@Alpostpone I was just going to say the same, it’s the lower part of the upper glacis continuing on the same profile as on the Jagdpanther whereas the Stürmtiger has the box front vertical section which it shares with Tiger 1. The plate seems to be missing the bolt holes for the gun mantlet so suggesting a G1.

[@pyrtwistPyrtwistWorldInMotion]

Sounds fantastic!

[@bluephoenix8470]

Make them again! Design far ahead of its time. Work well today for light reconnaissance and patrol anywhere in the world.

[@chrisschultz6675]

Question for those in the know - is the pitting on the surface of the armor the result of age and the elements, or is that the finish that would have been typical on the production vehicles? I know many late war tanks had very rough cast texture, but these plates seem cut and welded, so I'm curious.

[@Harkonnen122]

Result of age and elements. New steel would be quite smooth.

[@lancerevell5979]

Thanks, I had wondered about that too. Must have been sitting in a field somewhere for decades.

[@john0815]

Beautiful machine and great job lad’s 👍🏼

[@k1200ltse]

Is the hole the reason it was originally taken out of service? Looks like a 37mm hit.

[@BorisRadalivic]

Probably

[@scottconlee2023]

It seems like a 37mm hit would have bounced around the interior and ruined 222 as a restoration candidate, doesn't it ?

[@k1200ltse]

@Scott Conlee To be honest, I wouldn't have a clue, but there are tanks that have been restored that were knocked out by much bigger rounds. And I can't see any other reason there would be a hole that size that wasn't patched as part of the restoration. And not to be too gory, plenty of allied tanks were repaired & put back into service after having a 75 or 88mm shell bounce around inside. I'm currently reading a book about it by an American who repaired them in the war.

[@Scammers-Suck]

I have never seen or heard of this model it's a beauty of engineering, design, and repair!

[@Novous]

I thought it's supposed to have four wheel steering?

[@vvr881]

No one notice the V shape Hull. Must offer some protection from mines

[@garyclarke2808]

As an English man i must also say this about the German military machine of the second world war , yes they had there faults but damm did they look good while having them faults ! ! ! ! i guess if your gonna set out to rule the world might as well look AWSOME AND COOL with the BEST LOOKING MACHINES and UNIFORMS of the TIME , there i said it .

[@SCARFACE-gp4fy]

Gotta give it to them they had style

[@papaaaaaaa2625]

Funny. I'm german and I would definitely prefer a Humber Scout Car or a Dingo.

[@jerryjeromehawkins1712]

The Panzerspähwagen series with 8 wheel drive and 8 wheel steering is my favorite. Talk about a machine that was good looking!! 👍🏽

[@lancerevell5979]

Very cool looking, but with my size if I managed to squeeze in I might not get back out! 😄

[@chrisfirth8610]

Style, even ss uniforms were made by Hugo Boss, so you can polish a turd

[@damirsirotic052]

Leutenant Gruber's little tank.

[@viandengalacticspaceyards5135]

To state the obvious; great work from deicated people, and an example for those who think it's impossible.

[@davidhorbenko7143]

Fantastic. Just love it

[@wealdfoundation]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@Custer0706]

Very nice! Would love to get a glance into those sheds….

[@wealdfoundation]

And you can as a Member. Why not join and come to one of our Open Days? www.wealdfoundation.org/membership/

[@desertfox4277]

this was fun to use in Heroes and Generals

[@Barrydick186]

damn i miss playing h&gs sometimes

[@GeneralLudwigSteiner]

@@Barrydick186 Play Enlisted, its basicly the same but better

[@Von_Langstein]

@@GeneralLudwigSteiner Enlisted is fun, but I miss the progressive battle map we were all fighting over in H&G. Winning individual battles that helped the push on the world map was a really cool concept, even if maps were reused quite often

[@GeneralLudwigSteiner]

@@Von_Langstein Yes, that was true - I loved the strategy map too - especially that you could have different battles, with without tanks, armored cares, planes, just infantry etc. it was great. Sadly H&G went to shit after they sold it. now its closing down forerver.

[@SomeNordicMan]

These things are so fun to build as models

[@SalaKaland]

Super german technik ! ❤

[@andraslibal]

A bit overdone like most of their machinery. Too many man hours for a simple task of a light recon vehicle. Then again it is an early war design and they tended to really overdo all of those ... they had a lot of time for each.

[@lfernandplopsa3627]

Yup, that's why they lost , to many different types of crap 🙄🙄🤦‍♂🤦‍♂

[@johncartwright8154]

Illustrates how restricted the driver's vision must be. Even less so when buttoned up! Like the dog....looks like 'Nipper' in the old HMV logostyle!

[@kiwifruit27]

Looks incredible. Do you have any plans for the bits of Jagpanther (I think it is) at 3:50

[@wealdfoundation]

It will be restored in the future, but we currently have other projects that have priority at least until 2030... A long way before we might start doing anything with it.

[@HanrryMG42]

Now they only need a 20mm flak to fit the turret well, because with out the cannon its only 50% authentic. It like run a Tiger with out turret, its not the same.. But cool work with that awesome vehicle!!

[@wealdfoundation]

We have a 20mm auto cannon and MG for the vehicle, but it wasn't fitted for now, only when we show the vehicle to the public.

[@HanrryMG42]

@@wealdfoundationOoooh! Thats amazing! I really want to see him completed soon ! Great work boys! And firing too :v

[@JohnVideler]

Now I know where the British got the idea for the Ferret!

[@tutnallman]

Splendid!

[@timothywood4402]

Awesome

[@enyawrebbuj9458]

Where can a person (or 222 enthusuast) visit to see the vehicle in person?

[@wealdfoundation]

You can join our Membership and help us and come to visit on Open Days.

[@garyclarke2808]

That's better looking than my wife ! . X x