| Development of the new vehicle for the Royal Hungarian Army started in 1937, when Dezso Winkler was ordered by the Ministry of Defence to create a project of a 1.5-ton lorry to be used as personnel carrier. Too allow for higher cross-country mobility but also keep the costs down, the truck received the 6x4 configuration. To aid in difficult terrain, the construction received a number of innovative mechanisms. One was the second axle, raised above the ground level and in contact only at the peak of a summit. Another innovation was a set of two rollers mounted at the front bumper that were intended to aid in crossing of ditches. The latter feature was a copy of a similar mechanism used in the 31M H-2 lorry designed by Zsigmond Hollos of the Manfred Weiss Steel and Metal Works (HMW), Csepel after 1949 Csepel. Two prototypes were built and were well-received by the Ministry of Defence. The initial configuration allowed for 14 people to be transported in an open cargo compartment and the cab. The lorry was designed to be able to tow up to 2000 kilograms in a trailer, it was also equipped with a factory-installed winch. As no factory in Hungary could cope with such a massive government order, the 38M Botond was built by a consortium of six companies, with HMW and Mavag as the main contractors and Lang, Ganz Works and HSCS works producing various parts |
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