At the International Motor Show (IAA) in 1951, Büssing Nutzkraftwagen GmbH presented the Type 12000, a completely new truck. On the one hand, it deviated from the usual Langhauber design and was conceived as a front-wheel drive truck, and on the other hand, the engine did not sit in front of the driver's cab as had been customary until then, but was installed as an underfloor engine for the first time in truck history. These technical innovations led to a lot of discussion in the scene, but they met with a great deal of disapproval from haulers and drivers. High purchase costs and poor handling characteristics were ultimately other major obstacles that kept many interested customers from buying. The reservations were so great that only 36 examples of the Büssing 12000 left the factory in Braunschweig, of which three still exist today.
The state-run Deutsche Bundesbahn was one of the few buyers and probably needed the purchase for the transport of its general cargo. For the Bundesbahn directorate, the Büssing factory also fulfilled a wish for a much smoother production of the driver's cab and a stiffer design in the lower area around the bumper than was intended for series production. The distinctive stylistic elements of the type 12000 - the attachment above the split windscreen for the name lettering and the large-scale chrome-plated front ornament - were also included in the version for the German Federal Railways. The engine was designed as a 6-cylinder diesel engine with a capacity of 13 litres, produced 180 hp (from the 1954 model year, the engine had a capacity of 15 litres and 200 hp) and accelerated the fully loaded truck to a top speed of 61 km/h, which was quite common for such goods transports at the time. The 12000 Büssing may not have been a success at the time, but from today's point of view, the design certainly stands for progressive thinking and farsightedness.
