IFA W50L: from the GDR to the USSR "with love"

The full name of this vehicle is IFA W50L and it was produced at the Industrie Werke Ludwigsfelde, that is, the "Industrial Plant in Ludwigsfelde". The abbreviation IEA is translated as Industrieverband Fahrzeugbau - "Industrial Association of Automobile Manufacturers". Under the auspices of this state organization, almost all motorcycles and vehicles of the GDR were produced. The number "50" means the carrying capacity of the machine is 50 centners (5 tons). And "L" is the city where the cars were made. The company was formed in 1936 and belonged to Dimler Benz, and in 1991, after the reunification of Germany, it returned to its owner.

Where did the IFA W50L come from

In the 60s, the car factory in Werdau produced a truck model under the W45 index. The car was tested in the People's Army and received good reviews from the military. After minor modifications, by the summer of 1962, the W50 truck saw the light. However, large-scale production was organized only in 1965.


After 20 years, the development of the next W60 model began, which was supposed to replace the outdated W50, lovingly named “Ellie” by the people. However, rapidly developing political events did not allow the car to get on the conveyor. Daimler Benz, which returned to its possession, was not interested in the development of the GDR: the German giant redesigned the enterprise for its products. Although they still tried to produce a new version of the L6 truck with a Mercedes LN2 cab, they abandoned it.


And in East Germany, this truck has been successfully produced for 25 years. The car was sold not only to the Soviet Union, but also to the countries of Africa and Asia. In total, 571 units of equipment rolled off the assembly line of the plant. The increased demand was primarily due to low fuel consumption, reliable design and competitive cost.

Power point

Initially, the truck was equipped with a unit with a capacity of 100 "horses". He had an interesting feature: the so-called. motor brake. It came into action when the driver removed his foot from the accelerator - at this moment the damper was automatically covered. This feature is good when driving on an icy road, a long descent.



The motor had direct injection and was highly economical. Do you know how it was achieved? Very original and simple: during warm-up and parking, stops worked only two cylinders. I wonder why this is not used anywhere today?

Other systems and nodes

The engine was paired with a five-speed manual gearbox mounted on the frame. This is the basic version of the car. But there were others: with all-wheel drive, reduction gear and transfer unit. Dependent suspension was equipped with springs, stabilizers appeared in the 70s. Brakes with a pneumatic booster are operated by separate hydraulic actuators.

What's in the cockpit

The steering wheel is comfortable, with hydraulic booster. The arrangement of devices, levers in ergonomic terms is thought out, as it should be in a car from the GDR.


The convenience of the seat, adjustable horizontally and height, was noted by Soviet drivers who compared it with the GAZ-53 seat.

Why they didn’t like IFA-50

There weren't many drawbacks. And first of all, it is the inability to tilt the cab. As a result, access to components, assemblies and many parts was difficult. I had to do repairs from below or in the cab, which in both cases is inconvenient. And the second minus is vibration. As for her, the Germans even consulted with the Soviet US. But everything went too long and the problem was not solved. For these disadvantages, the car in the USSR was sometimes called not “Ellie”, but “Revenge for Stalingrad”.


By the beginning of the 80s, the car was obsolete even for the USSR. Most of the IFA W50L was gradually taken out of service by the early to mid-90s. Today, finding a truck from the GDR in working condition is a difficult task, but possible. On the Web, no, no, yes, there are ads for the sale of a car for 150-250 thousand rubles, depending on the technical condition.