Büssing AG was a Germanbus andtruck manufacturer, established in 1903 by Heinrich Büssing[1] (1843–1929) inBraunschweig.[2] It quickly evolved to one of the largest European producers, whose utility vehicles with theBrunswick Lion emblem were widely distributed, especially from the 1930s onwards. The company was taken over byMAN AG in 1971.
1903 Büssing ZU-550 truck on display in theDeutsches Museum, Munich
Heinrich Büssing successfully founded several companies and held approximately 250 patents. One example is an introductory patent by engineer C. Windhausen and Heinrich Büssing from Braunschweig, which relates to the manufacture of new chimney caps.[3] At the age of 60, theinventor and businessman Heinrich Büssing together with his two sons founded theHeinrich-Büssing-Spezialfabrik für Motorwagen und Motoromnibusse. Büssing, the son of ablacksmith dynasty at Nordsteimke (in present-dayWolfsburg), had studied engineering at theCollegium Carolinum in Braunschweig and had founded several bicycle, engineering and railway signal works with varying degrees of success.[4] His first truck was a 2-ton payload machine powered by a 2-cylinder gasoline engine and featuringworm drive. That successful design was later built under license by other companies in Germany, Austria, Hungary and byStraker-Squire in England.
One year later he debuted a first 20 HP omnibus model carrying up to twelve passengerson the route from Braunschweig toWendeburg, operated by his ownAutomobil-Omnibus-Betriebs-Gesellschaft.[4] Büssing busses soon served public transport in European cities likeBerlin (ABOAG),Vienna andPrague (Fross–Büssing), orLondon.
Büssing 5t army truck in 1918Büssing V 5t Truck 1921Büssing III 3,5t Truck 1921 Büssing Omnibus (1921) Büssing 350 (1933-1936). Büssing 350-O (1933-1936)
BeforeWorld War I Büssing started to build heavy-duty trucks for the time. These trucks featured 4- and 6-cylinder engines (5 tonnes and 11 tonnes, respectively). In 1914 theBüssing A5P armored car was developed at the behest of the GermanOberste Heeresleitung. After the war, Heinrich Büssing had to enter aKommanditgesellschaft limited partnership, converted into the Büssing AGjoint-stock company in 1922. In 1923, Büssing introduced the first rigid three-axlechassis which was used in upcoming models and allowed Büssing to lead the market share in Germany in commercial vehicles. Fleets of their double and single deck buses ran on the streets of Berlin and were a common sight in the interwar years.
1963/1964 Büssingtrolleybus preserved at the Frankfurt-am-Main Transport Museum
Büssing NAG used inmates of severalNazi concentration camps in Braunschweig from 1944 to March 1945 for slave labor. These camps were subcamps to theNeuengamme concentration camp.[5]
Büssing 8000 truck
AfterWorld War II civilian production resumed with 5-ton and 7-ton trucks being produced.[2] In 1950, the company name becameBüssing Nutzkraftwagen GmbH and production was concentrated on underfloor-engined trucks which were to become the firm's specialty. Most tractor units and all normal-control trucks had vertical engines, but in the mid 1960s there was a version of their Commodore maximum-weight tractor unit, the 16-210, which had a horizontal diesel mounted under the cab ahead of the front axle, the gearbox being mounted halfway along the truck's chassis.[2]
In 1969, Büssing started strong ties withMAN AG. MAN was a customer to some Büssing's innovative trucks and parts while they were promoting their own line-up. In 1971, an MAN takeover of Büssing was announced.[2] MAN started to use the lion logo on its newly named "MAN-Büssing" trucks. Büssing's unique underfloor-engined truck range continued in production under the MAN AG through to the late 1980s.
Büssing took over the Borgward plant at Osterholz-Scharmbeck in 1962. This plant was used for building military 4-tonne 4x4. (1968 Factory was sold to Faun-Werke GmbH.)
Büssing manufacturedtrolleybuses between 1933 and 1966, producing approximately 71 models.[7] Most were for German cities, but production also included three trolleybuses forChernyakhovsk, Russia, in 1939; four forCopenhagen, Denmark, in 1940–42; and 14 forLucerne, Switzerland, in 1965.[7] In Turkey,ESHOT converted 21 Büssingmotorbuses into trolleybuses in 1962 and 1968[7] (these are not counted in the total of 71 given above). At least four Büssing trolleybuses have been preserved, including ones at theFrankfurt Transport Museum, (de:Verkehrsmuseum Frankfurt am Main) at theHannoversches Straßenbahn-Museum and at theHistorama transport museum inFerlach, Austria.[7]
From 1933, the buses 250-O, 275-ON, 300-O, 305-O, and 350-O were produced. By the end of 1938, these types were replaced by successors.
The 250-O,[8] available since the beginning of 1934, was designed for 20 passengers. The empty weight was 2150 kg. The permissible total weight was 5350 kg. The four-cylinder diesel engine had a displacement of 4941 cc with a bore of 110 mm and a stroke of 130 mm. The maximum power of 68 hp was available at 2000 revolutions per minute.
The 275-ON available since the beginning of 1933, was designed for 26 passengers. The empty weight was 2500 kg. The permissible total weight was 6200 kg. The four-cylinder diesel engine had a displacement of 4941 cc with a bore of 110 mm and a stroke of 130 mm. The maximum power of 68 hp was available at 2000 revolutions per minute.
The 300-O available since the beginning of 1933, was designed for 30 passengers. The empty weight was 2625 kg. The permissible total weight was 6950 kg. The four-cylinder diesel engine had a displacement of 4941 cc with a bore of 110 mm and a stroke of 130 mm. The maximum power of 68 hp was available at 2000 revolutions per minute.
The 305-O available since the beginning of 1933, was designed for 30 passengers. The empty weight was 2700 kg. The permissible total weight was 7100 kg. The five-cylinder diesel engine had a displacement of 6177 cc with a bore of 110 mm and a stroke of 130 mm. The maximum power of 75 hp was available at 2000 revolutions per minute.
The 350-O available since the beginning of 1933, was designed for 36 passengers. The empty weight was 3500 kg. The permissible total weight was 8200 kg. The six-cylinder diesel engine had a displacement of 7413 cc with a bore of 110 mm and a stroke of 130 mm. The maximum power of 90 hp was available at 2000 revolutions per minute.
The city line bus 275-N was designed for more passengers compared to the intercity bus 275-ON. 30 people could board the bus with an empty weight of 2600 kg. The permissible total weight was 6900 kg. The four-cylinder diesel engine had a reduced power of 65 hp in favor of an improved torque curve for urban areas.
The city line bus 305-N was designed for more passengers compared to the intercity bus 305-O. 34 people could board the bus with an empty weight of 2800 kg. The permissible total weight was 7700 kg. The five-cylinder diesel engine had a power of 75 hp.
The city line bus 350-N was designed for more passengers compared to the intercity bus 350-O. 38 people could board the bus with an empty weight of 3700 kg. The permissible total weight was 8900 kg. The six-cylinder diesel engine had a power of 90 hp.
The Büssing 200 was a truck with a payload capacity of 2.2 tons. The empty weight was 1650 kg. The allowable total weight was 4600 kg. The three-cylinder diesel engine had a displacement of 3706 cc with a bore of 110 mm and a stroke of 130 mm. The maximum power of 45 hp was achieved at 2000 revolutions per minute. The vehicle was produced from 1933 to 1939.
The Büssing 250 was a truck with a payload capacity of 2.5 tons. The empty weight was 2150 kg. The allowable total weight was 5350 kg. The four-cylinder diesel engine had a displacement of 4941 cc with a bore of 110 mm and a stroke of 130 mm. The maximum power of 65 hp was achieved at 2000 revolutions per minute. The vehicle was produced from 1934 to 1936.
The Büssing 275 was a truck with a payload capacity of 3.2 tons. The empty weight was 2300 kg. The allowable total weight was 6200 kg. The four-cylinder diesel engine had a displacement of 4941 cc with a bore of 110 mm and a stroke of 130 mm. The maximum power of 65 hp was achieved at 2000 revolutions per minute. The vehicle was produced from 1933 to 1939.
The Büssing 305 was a truck with a payload capacity of 3.8 tons. The empty weight was 2600 kg. The allowable total weight was 7100 kg. The five-cylinder diesel engine had a displacement of 6177 cc with a bore of 110 mm and a stroke of 130 mm. The maximum power of 75 hp was achieved at 2000 revolutions per minute. The vehicle was produced from 1935 to 1938.
The WEG T36 was a two-axle diesel railcar manufactured by the Fuchs wagon factory. It was based on a Büssing bus. It was powered by two Büssing U10 engines, each with 150 hp. The vehicle had 42 seats and a top speed of 65 km/h. It was put into service by the Württemberg Railway Company (WEG) in 1954 and operated on the meter-gauge Amstetten–Laichingen line until 1973.[9]
^"Büssing 650 GD". Automobilia transports : organe de défense des intérêts professionnels des transporteurs sur route de voyageurs et marchandises. 1935-03-01. Retrieved2025-04-20.
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