The IFA P3 was an off-road vehicle built in the German Democratic Republic for military use by the National People’s Army and the border troops. Its six-cylinder petrol engine, the OM 6-35L, was the final and most powerful version of the OM 6 family, built largely in aluminium.
IFA P3 at a glance
| Built in | the German Democratic Republic |
|---|---|
| Users | National People’s Army, border troops |
| Type | off-road vehicle (Geländewagen) |
| Engine | OM 6-35L, six-cylinder petrol |
| Capacity | 2.4 litres |
| Power | 75 PS |
| Engine build | aluminium block, cylinder head and many attachments |
| Family | the P2 programme: P2L saloon, P2S amphibious car, P2M off-roader |
| Wrong names in use since 1990 | Sachsenring P3, Horch P 3 |
based on one source (German Wikipedia), which is short.
History of the IFA P3
The OM 6 engine was developed after the Second World War as a two-litre unit for the P200 saloon project, under the former Wanderer engineers Orth and Träger. When the P2 family of vehicles was ordered — the off-road saloon P2L, the amphibious P2S and the off-road car P2M — its displacement was increased to 2.4 litres.
The OM 6-35L fitted to the P3 was the final version of that engine family, built in aluminium: the block, the cylinder head and many attachments were made of aluminium alloys, and output was raised to 75 PS. In principle it was very similar to the OM 6-35 of the P2M. A related unit, the OM 6-42,5 without dry-sump lubrication, was used in the Sachsenring P 240 saloon.
The P3 was produced for military use in the DDR, serving with the National People’s Army and the border troops. The designations Sachsenring P3 and Horch P 3, often found since 1990, are incorrect: they come from the fact that the engine was produced at the VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwickau, not from any involvement of those firms in the vehicle itself.
Design and features
- OM 6-35L engine: a 2.4-litre six-cylinder petrol unit giving 75 PS, the most powerful version of the OM 6 family.
- Aluminium construction: block, cylinder head and many attachments in aluminium alloys, which kept the weight of the military vehicle down.
- Military role: built for the NVA and the border troops rather than for civilian sale.
- P2 family: developed alongside the P2L saloon, the P2S amphibious car and the P2M off-roader.
IFA P3 versions
- P2M: the off-road car with the earlier OM 6-35 engine.
- P2S: the amphibious version of the P2 family.
- P2L: the off-road saloon of the same programme.
- P3: the vehicle described here, with the aluminium OM 6-35L.
The P3 belongs to the same family as the IFA P2M. More military and civilian vehicles are in the IFA collection.
Video: Impressionen IFA P3
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- IFA P3, German Wikipedia: purpose, engine, P2 family, naming
