Robur (truck)

Robur was a marque of the Volkseigener Betrieb VEB Robur-Werke Zittau of East Germany (GDR).

In 1888, Karl Gustav Hiller founded a company for the distribution of a pom-pon machine that he had invented and would receive a patent for in 1894.

On a trip to England he obtained an exclusive license to import and build Rover Safety Bicycles.

He became shareholder and later owner of the Zittau machine factory "Müller & Preußger", refined the Rover bicycles and began to distribute them under the name "Phänomen-Rover" in 1894.

However, similarities in construction with Berlin-made three-wheeler Cyklonette of Cyklon, led to arguments over patent.

Between 1912 and 1927 the company, by now known as "Aktiengesellschaft Phänomen-Werke Gustav Hiller", offered four-wheeled cars that unfortunately did not succeed in establishing themselves in the market.

By request of the Reichspost for a cheap, safe and capable vehicle, the company introduced its 4 RL truck that could carry loads between 0.75 and 1 tons.

In consequence of a referendum of 30 April 1946 in Saxony, all property of those judged to be Nazis and war criminals was expropriated.

It was first presented at the Leipzig Trade Fair in 1961 and was constructed according to international development trends of the time.

This modern COE truck had the carburetor engine of its predecessor, with an increased output of 70 HP.

Development of the LD/LO 3000 series in the 1980s aimed to extend the lifetime of the various components and reaching international level in terms of quality.

In 1995 a new company called Robur-Fahrzeug-Engineering GmbH was founded and bought all know-how of the Robur-Werke Zittau.

The vehicles were modified for a number of different purposes, e.g. a mobile pharmacy, fire engines and dumpers.