The Krupp Büffel was the light model of Krupp’s post-war lorry family. It appeared in 1951 together with the smaller Mustang, below the heavy Titan, and it was sold under the Südwerke name until 1954.
Krupp Büffel at a glance
| Maker | Fried. Krupp Motoren- und Kraftwagenfabriken |
|---|---|
| Brand | Südwerke until 1954, then Krupp |
| Introduced | 1951 |
| Class | light lorry |
| Range mates | Titan, Mustang, Widder (1955), Elch and Drache (1956) |
| Plants | Kulmbach, Bamberg and Nuremberg until 1953; Essen afterwards |
| 1955 update | revised but kept its name |
| Krupp lorry production | 1919–1968 |
Based on one source: the German Wikipedia article on the Krupp works, which mentions the Büffel in its history of the post-war range. There is no separate article on the model, and no free photograph of this model was found, so the old picture stays on the page.
History of the Krupp Büffel
After the war
Krupp’s lorry works restarted in 1946 after the Second World War, with production moved from Essen to Kulmbach, Bamberg and Nuremberg. Because the Krupp name was still associated with armaments, the lorries were sold as Südwerke until 1954. The company had been building lorries since 1919 and kept at it until 1968.
Joining the range in 1951
The heavy Titan of 1950, with its 190 hp two-stroke diesel, was the strongest German lorry of its day and became the head of the range. In 1951 Krupp added the somewhat smaller Mustang and the light Büffel, completing the animal-named family that the company itself called its lorry menagerie. Production returned to Essen in 1953.
The 1955 revision
Krupp modernised the range in 1955 with flatter and squarer bonnets. The Büffel was revised but kept its name, as did the Mustang, while the new Widder joined the range as a five-tonner. The Widder was replaced by the Elch in 1956, and heavy two-axle Drache dumpers appeared the same year. Small improvements continued until 1959, including one-piece windscreens and the first forward-control cabs with fixed cabins.
Design and features
- Light end of the range: the smallest of Krupp’s post-war animal-named lorries.
- Südwerke badge: sold under that name until 1954.
- 1955 revision: flatter, squarer bonnet and detail changes, same name.
- Long-lived name: the Büffel stayed in the range into the late 1950s.
Krupp Büffel versions
- Büffel (1951–1954): the original Südwerke-badged light lorry.
- Büffel (1954–1955): the same model under the Krupp name.
- Revised Büffel (1955 onwards): flatter bonnet, unchanged model name.
The Büffel was the lightest member of the family that also included the Krupp Mustang and the heavy Krupp Tiger. More vehicles are in the Krupp collection.
Sources
- Fried. Krupp Motoren- und Kraftwagenfabriken, German Wikipedia: post-war range, Südwerke brand, 1955 revision
