The Steyr-Daimler-Puch Pinzgauer is the “younger brother” of the Haflinger which was produced starting in 1950 in various civilian and military models.

While the Haflinger did it’s duty in the area it was designed for and is still in use in a small number in the Swiss army (as of 2003) several of the customers of Steyr-Daimler-Puch showed a demand for a vehicle with higher payload capacity and area. This was the reason for SDP to start the design of the Pinzgauer. While the Haflinger had a rear engine reducing the accessibility of the bed area the engine for the Pinzgauer was moved forward into the cab. However, the radical design approach of the chassis was carried over to the Pinzgauer.

The first Pinzgauer prototypes were built around 1965 and didn’t look similar to the final production model. During the following years the design evolved into the final version. Production started in 1971 (710) with the 712 models to follow in 1972.

After the initial production for the Swiss and Austrian forces minor design upgrades were introduced. These included a modified differential shaft and modified light guards. The rest of the truck remained mainly untouched and remained in production until 1985. During the production period from 1971 to 1985 a total of 18,349 Pinzgauers (710 + 712) were manufactured and sold.

Due to the request of the customers for an even larger vehicle with a more economic Diesel engine SDP upgraded the Pinzgauer models with a modern water-cooled turbo Diesel engine they got from Volkswagen and modified it for their needs. To fit it in the cab was increased in length and gearboxes including drive train were significantly modified. To fit more comfortable seats the height was also slightly increased. In 2000 the production for these new models (716/718) was transferred from Austria to Great Britain where the trucks are still manufactured.

The 710 / 712 Pinzgauer was truly a unique vehicle both from a design and manufacturing point of view. It was a purpose built machine in every aspect, including the motor which was specifically designed for this particular vehicle, one of the last vehicles to be built without significant reuse of high volume components from existing vehicles.