1954 Austin Champ
The Austin Champ is the civilian name of a British Army vehicle made by the Austin Motor Company. The vehicle's official military name was “Truck, ¼ ton, CT, 4 x 4, Cargo & FFW (Fitted For Wireless)”. The Champ name was eventually used for all vehicles.
The project to create the Austin Champ began in 1947 to gain independence from the United States for the purchase of Jeep-style vehicles. The vehicle was designed by the Fighting Vehicles Reseatch and Development Establishment (FVRDE). The first prototypes were Nuffield Gutty and Wolseley Mudlark. The final production order would go to Austin. The independent suspension in the vehicle belonged to Alec Issigonis and it had a 2.8 liter Rolls Royce B40 engine. The latter was a result of a desire by the British Army to standardize the engines in use. Civilian versions had the Austin A70 engine.
There was no high and low gearing in the vehicle, the power had to come from the 80 hp engine and the mounted 5-speed gearbox, with the first gear being an extra low gear. However, 2 and 4 wheel drive can be switched on. The reverse is separate from the gearbox, so 5 reverse gears are also available. As a novelty of the time, the car had a fully synchronized gearbox.
The first production vehicles were delivered in 1950 and production continued until 1956 at the Austin factory in Longbridge near Birmingham. There were 2 variants Cargo and Fitted For Wireless (FFW, radio), which we both have in the fleet. In the army, variants were also converted to ambulance, telephone cable tiers and variants with machine guns.
At the time, the Champ was perceived as a complicated vehicle by workshop personnel. The body also offered less shelter than the Land Rover series 1, which had doors and the Champ did not (at most, flaps). The car was also twice as expensive to purchase as a Land Rover series 1. The Champ was mainly intended as a fast attack vehicle, however, the need for such a vehicle decreased after the introduction. The British Army had already purchased several Land Rover Series 1 as an interim solution in anticipation of the Champs (the Land Rovers were originally intended for the farming population!) And finally switched to Land Rover after 1956. Production of the Champ was discontinued after 11,000 of the intended 15,000 copies. The Champs were disposed of by the British army after 1966/167. However, given the Champ's superior off-road performance and driving qualities, interest in the car has been growing in recent years.
