The Austin Champ was designed and produced by the British Austin Motor Company in the 1950s. It began as a military vehicle but was sold for civilian use towards the end of its life. The British Army put out a call in the late 1940s for a new multipurpose light combat vehicle after the end of WWII to be able to perform in all areas of the world during any military conflict. The engine, transmission, and electrical system were all waterproofed so the vehicle could operate submerged to a depth of six feet. The air intake featured a folding snorkel that could be raised as if needed. The Champ had five forward gears and five reverse gears, enabling the Champ to being able to do over 50 mph forwards or backwards (still a record today in reverse). The windscreen was able to be folded forward from the underside to assist with de-fogging and the whole windscreen could be folded flat onto the bonnet/hood if the top was down. As the Champ entered service, it became apparent that it was too expensive to continue production, even though it had outstanding performance. As such, the production was terminated and only 11,732 were produced out of 15,000 originally planned.
Image credit – Wikipedia.org
#classictrucks #4×4 #oldschool #offroad #Austin #Champ #shifterslist
