Steyr Daimler Puch developed the Pinzgauer one-ton off-road vehicle at the end of the 1960s as part of an invitation to tender issued by the Austrian Army. However, the first major customer was the Swiss Army, which procured a total of approx. 6300 vehicles from 1971 onwards. About 5000 of these were the 4x4 version. This large number of vehicles resulted from the expansion of the mechanized divisions at the time, when the number of Swiss militia troops had risen to over 800,000. The vehicles were used by the troops as transporters, but also in barracks, armories, etc. for technical services. In the private sector, the Pinzgauer was mainly used by municipalities, fire departments and agriculture. The simple and robust construction of this vehicle led to the fact that even today some original vehicles are still in use.