---
title: "Buy This Bonkers WWII Half-Track Motorcycle"
description: "Might we suggest you get yourself to Goodwood this weekend for the 75th Members' Meeting, where Bonhams will be auctioning off this mid-1940s German SdKfz 2 Kettenkrad."
date: "2017-03-16"
modified: "2017-03-16"
authors:
  - name: "Kyle Cheromcha"
    job_title: "Editor-in-Chief"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kyle-cheromcha"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/8384/buy-this-bonkers-wwii-half-track-motorcycle"
categories:
  - "Culture"
  - "For Sale"
  - "Motorcycles"
  - "News"
  - "The Garage"
tags:
  - "Bonhams"
  - "Goodwood"
  - "half-track"
  - "motorcycle"
  - "nazi"
  - "WWII"
---

# Buy This Bonkers WWII Half-Track Motorcycle

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2017/03/kettenkrad-1.png>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

So, the [Hermann Göring-edition early Beetle on eBay](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/8345/west-coast-choppers-is-selling-hermann-grings-vw-beetle-on-ebay>) didn't do it for you? Too... pedestrian? Maybe one too many seats? Or perhaps it's just that you need something that has tank treads and low range but is also completely open to the elements, so you can really experience the outdoors. Well, might we suggest you get yourself to Goodwood this weekend for the 75th Members' Meeting, where Bonhams will be auctioning off this [mid-1940s German SdKfz 2 Kettenkrad](<https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/24118/lot/66/>).

Powered by a 1.5 liter engine from the Opel Olympia, this light duty half-track follows the same patterns as other German military machines from World War II - ingenious and well made in some regards, but bizarre and, frankly, completely insane in others. Featuring a hand-twisted throttle and foot-operated clutch, the Kettenkrad (a combination of the German words for "tracks" and "motorcycle") could hit almost 50 mph, making it the fastest half-track vehicle of the war. It could also be operated without the front wheel attached, turning it into a full-on mini tank.

![message-editor%2F1489687872191-kettenkrad2.png](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1489687872191-kettenkrad2.png>)
*It's a tight fit!, *Bonhams**

The drivers sits behind the handlebars on essentially a bicycle seat in a small hollow compartment between the treads. Two passengers can sit facing backwards on a bench at the rear. The steering is particularly clever - once the handlebars move past a certain point, brakes in either tread kick in to aid in turning. High and low ranges give it excellent off road abilities, and it's been said the Kettenkrad can climb a 25 degree slope on sand.

![message-editor%2F1489687898313-kettenkrad3.png](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1489687898313-kettenkrad3.png>)
*Pictured: Russian mud capable of swallowing whole armies.... or possibly just a field in England., *Bonhams**

Despite the fact that only 8,000 were produced, the Nazis [used them](<https://books.google.com/books?id=MuGsf0psjvcC&pg=PA74&lpg=PA74&dq=kettenrad+cable+layer&source=bl&ots=K6_FAbPF8K&sig=pzRH4T7KI2gkpOPCkx8xSnE5ApE&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi5-MLIldnSAhVl0YMKHf-LAQ4Q6AEIKTAF#v=onepage&q=kettenrad%20cable%20layer&f=false>) in nearly every theater of the war to ferry troops and tow anti-tank guns around, as they were the only light-duty vehicle small enough to fit in the holds of their Junkers Ju 52 transport planes. They were especially adept at crossing the literal seas of mud in Russia that bogged down the rest of the German army. In the closing stages of the war, they were also used to lay cables and tow the Messerchmitt Me 262 jets to the runway to save fuel.

This particular example has been fully restored with period parts and is expected to go for upwards of $100,000. And you can bid with a clear conscience, as this Kettenkrad sports a chassis from 1948, meaning it was never used in combat.

## Author
Overseeing an expert staff of writers and editors from his lair in Los Angeles, Kyle shapes The Drive’s singular approach to covering the automotive industry and car culture. He’s been with the site as a writer since 2017, taking over as editor in 2019. On a daily basis, Kyle is responsible for directing The Drive's editorial news and car review content strategies, setting special coverage priorities, managing complex reporting projects, and ensuring what you read on the page meets our high internal standards for quality and trustworthiness. He is also the executive producer of The Drive's YouTube channel, which was relaunched in February 2024 to great acclaim and has accumulated over 14M new views in its first year back on the scene. He hosts a biweekly series on the channel where he breaks down fascinating and complicated stories from the automotive world.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/kylecheromcha.bsky.social>)  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/kylecheromcha>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-cheromcha-1550248a/>)