At the same time, Porsche was tasked with designing two new chassis for a military vehicle developed in two versions, both featuring independent front suspension with torsion bars. One had rear-wheel drive, and the other all-wheel drive — respectively designated Porsche Typ 146 and Typ 147.
To power these vehicles, Porsche developed a 3.5-litre air-cooled V8 engine, derived from a previous liquid-cooled Steyr V8. The 4×4 version, Typ 147, would be designated the Steyr 1500A, with series production beginning in 1941 at a Steyr-Daimler-Puch factory. Later on, Auto Union and Audi joined the programme, also producing the 1500 — Auto Union at the Wanderer factory in Sigmar, and Audi at the Zwickau plant.
There were three main variants of the 1500A: the first was a light truck for troop transport, fitted with benches in the cargo area; the second was a light all-terrain personnel carrier capable of transporting an infantry platoon of eight men; and the third, derived from the latter, was a command vehicle designated Kommandeurwagen Kfz 21, equipped with radio transmission gear and a higher comfort specification including leather upholstery.
Practical, durable, and highly capable, the Steyr 1500A saw extensive use throughout the conflict, serving various Waffen-SS and Wehrmacht units — including the Afrika Korps, where it was well regarded for its simplicity, comfort, and the reliability afforded by its air-cooled engine. Indeed, the final commander of the Afrika Korps, General Hans-Jürgen von Arnim, chose one of these “Porsche 147s” as his personal vehicle.
Broadly speaking, two distinct versions existed: the early Typ 1500A/01 with an internally mounted spare wheel, produced until August 1942; and the later Typ 1500A/02, with the spare wheel mounted externally, which entered production from that same month. Manufacturing continued until 1944, by which time Steyr had produced 12,450 units, with Auto Union and Audi contributing around 5,600 — for a total of 18,050 vehicles. Many remained in service until the end of the war, some even being used by Soviet forces, who pressed into service virtually every captured Steyr available to them.