Yeah, I could see one of the "kleine diebische Bergvolk" as a Holmes type. Bavarians are pretty neat people. I think of them as good-old-boys in Lederhosen and we get along just fine. They haven't discovered the wonders of the pickup truck yet, but they do have a proper appreciation for good hunting dogs and good beer! (and I must say your average Bayerischer Kerl has a better taste in beer than your average Bud-drinking good old boy!)
There were plenty of farmers with the flatbed equivalent and the Volkswagen van with an open rear, sort of an analogue to the Japanese Toyota and Datsun mini-pickups. And there are more than a few surplussed-off Bundeswehr Unimog 404 trucks and Austrian Pinzgauers running around, even a few old USAF base pickup trucks. They're getting there.