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What is it ?


Paul H

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Spotted this military vehicle in a drive in the village over the weekend . Chatting to the owner I remember the following info 

Year 1959 though probably earlier
Can travel at 40 mph 
Rolls Royce 4.2 litre
Weight 3.5 mt
Preselect Gearbox 
Supplied originally without a turret , so he made one out of wood and changed the height and will fit into his garage 
Owner uses it to go shopping at Tesco’s , no parking issues 😊
I think it’s Dutch

But I forgot what the military vehicle is , can anybody help complete my knowledge 

Paul 

8A5AFF8F-14BE-427E-A2B8-8B9D518C5120.thumb.jpeg.9f3251476663a7390cf4e0bd668e1358.jpeg

 

 

 

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39 minutes ago, Tanky said:

Ferret.......

Hello,

Spot-on Tankey, it's a Daimler Ferret and in particular it is a Mk2/3 - these vehicles were either green, sandstone of a mix between the two depending on their deployment; they certainly covered NI, Germany and Cyprus.

The Ferret had a max road speed of about 60mph-65mph however its recommended road cruising speed is 45mph. Fuel consumption averaged 9mpg on the road but fell to about 5mpg cross country. It was generically called a scout car, as that was it's main deployment - hence the confusion between Scout and Ferret.

It was designed with 5x forward gears and a reverse lever which allowed the Ferret to travel backwards as quickly as it could go forwards - an interesting experience but for getting out of danger, an absolute must !!

The gear change levers were split in so much that gear selection was on the RH side (facing forward) and the directional control (forward or reverse) was located on the LH side.

As has been mentioned the vehicle used the superb Daimler gear changing system via pre-select gearbox - it had a 3x foot pedal arrangement identical to that of manual Triumphs we drive. The dashboard contained a speedometer & tacho.

The engine is a RR B60 unit, this being a 6x cylinder OHV engine with a displacement of 4260cc with a dry sump; the pre-selector gearbox distributed power to all 4x wheels ensuring that 4x4 traction was engaged at all times.

The engine was mounted at the rear with the fuel tank positioned across the vehicle immediately behind the driver. Armour plating came in various layers of thickness, again depending upon the deployment and envisaged terrain.

All-in-all a superb military vehicle - that was highly manoeuvrable, swift of tyre and very agile. 

I hope the above assists and is of interest ??

Regards.

Richard.

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Thanks Tony....I'm ex-Tank Regiment, Ferrets were used as the SSM's  run around vehicle in the field and my mate Alby Neil was the SSM's driver. Great bloke....did you know the steering wheel was mounted upside down on the front bulkhead? It made for an interesting first driving lesson!

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38 minutes ago, poppyman said:

I think we all need to get out more Richard :)

Reckon you can get away with it when you are retired !!

Just to keep the anorak on, I have been reading a very interesting article about Triumphs in the 1930's, it's a number of pages but will scan & add on here. Folk can then read at their leisure.

Regards.

Richard.

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2 minutes ago, Tanky said:

did you know the steering wheel was mounted upside down on the front bulkhead?

No I didn't, Tanky, but appreciate the add-on for the knowledge library - as you say a very interesting first time experience, one would imagine.

I can see where your call-sign fits in now 😊

Many thanks.

Richard.

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Just seen this for sale, online:

9cd0220a-ef59-405c-b50b-ab6d00b4ab4c.jpg?w=540&h=360

 

You can even buy it without the gun being deactivated, if you "have the relevant licence"!

"I'd like a gun licence, Officer."   "Certainly, Sir.   Calibre?"  "76mm!"   "Blow into this, please Sir"

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As previously mentioned. I'm ex-4th Royal Tank Regiment. I started as a gunner on Cheiftains and was selected for Recce Troop, and became a driver on "Scorps". If you took the regulator off the engine (which we all did in those days!) We could reach 60mph. We got a few shocked looks on the dual carriageway when we stormed past people in their cars! Oh, by the way, we could do the same in reverse! Happy days indeed 😊

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On 09/03/2020 at 17:36, JohnD said:

Just seen this for sale, online:

9cd0220a-ef59-405c-b50b-ab6d00b4ab4c.jpg?w=540&h=360

 

You can even buy it without the gun being deactivated, if you "have the relevant licence"!

"I'd like a gun licence, Officer."   "Certainly, Sir.   Calibre?"  "76mm!"   "Blow into this, please Sir"

I've got one upstairs in my son's room. Purchased in the NAAFI building at Osnabrück in 1972.

Action man stuck in the turret. 

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