In 1949 the Tempo factory (in Hamburg-Harburg) brought a four-wheel drive delivery van with a VW engine onto the market – the Tempo-Matador. This proved to be the predecessor to the Hanomag Matador E, which went into production in 1965.

Up to 1970 the Hanomag-Henschel light vans could be ordered with either an English-made Austin carburettor engine or a 2-litre 50-hp diesel engine from Daimler-Benz. January 1972 saw the arrival of a considerably more powerful 2.2-litre 60-hp diesel engine and in January 1973 the light van was given a chassis with a simplified, less complex construction.