Under the designation Volkswagen typ 87, this denomination belonged to various versions of Volkswagen vehicles with four-wheel-drive. Among the variants was the car with the civilian body known under the designation “Kommandeurswagen” (command car) VW 877. This was an off-road vehicle which represented a combination of the body of civilian car type VW 60 "Beetle" and of the “Kubelwagen” chassis.
The vehicle was manufactured in this design from 1941 in a limited number of 600 and was delivered mostly to the Afrika Korps. For service in Africa the car was fitted with huge balloon tires for operation in sand. This required a modification of the front axles and widening of the fenders. The engine and the electrical equipment was protected against dust and moisture. Most of the command cars were fitted with a roll-up canvas cover to go over the sun roof opening.
The advantages of this car were it’s capability to move off-road and to protect the crew against rain, wind, dust and cold. The disadvantages were the limited mobility of the crew if needing to leave the car in combat conditions and the insufficient luggage space.