1955 Austin Champ 4x4 Military Vehicle

Description

Recognising the value of the American Jeep, the British Army tendered for its own all-terrain light vehicle in the immediate post-war period and the talented Alec Issigonis, who later fathered both the Morris Minor and Mini, was responsible for the original successful design, codenamed FV1800. Austin were awarded the contract to build the new vehicle by the military and a number of changes were made to simplify production and keep costs down, including scrapping the integral construction in favour of a separate chassis and one-piece steel body. Named the Champ, the new vehicle was powered by a four-cylinder (B40) version of a motor specifically developed for military use by Rolls-Royce, closely related to the B60 sixes and B80 straight-eights already in use. Displacing 2838cc, the unit developed a very healthy torque figure of 147 lbs ft at 1750 rpm while the transmission was an all-synchromesh five-speed unit with a separate engagement for reverse, allowing the vehicle to travel backwards in all gears, and the ultra low first gear and torquey engine meant there was no need for a low-range transfer box. Torsion bar independent suspension was retained all round, providing excellent ride quality, and Girling hydraulic brakes provided adequate stopping power. Unlike the Jeep, the Austin was equally at home on tarmac as it was in the mud or on gravel and the Champ's top speed was actually restricted to around 100 km/h via a rev-limiter set for a maximum of 3750 rpm to prevent over-eager soldiers driving at dangerous speeds. Part of the original design brief called for the Champ's ability to be driven submerged at depths of up to six feet (with a snorkel attached) and extra care was taken to ensure all the electrics and mechanical components were properly waterproofed. Other clever design features include spools mounted on each hub, reportedly to allow the car to be driven across a temporary bridge made of wire cables! Most Champs served as personnel transport, although some were used as field ambulances or equipped with machine guns and others were fitted for radio use with additional batteries and cables. The Austin was used in conflicts in the Suez, Cyprus and Africa during the 1950s while the Australian Army ordered 400 new Champs plus a similar number of ex-British Army vehicles. Sadly, the Champ's relative complexity, high cost of production and early reliability issues saw the British Army switch their allegiance to the Land Rover, with a small number of civilian derivatives (codenamed the WN3) made with an Austin A90 engine and 12-volt electrics, many of which found their way to Australia. Although contracted to build 15,000 Champs in the end the total production number fell short of that number, with only 11,000 or so supplied to the British Army.