Austin rolls champ

One of these was a switch from an aluminum cylinder head to a cast-iron one. Civilian sales of the Champ were not a success, primarily because it was expensive, but the engine was also different. The civilian market Champ was sold with either the Rolls Royce B40 or the more economical 2.

It would also not be sold waterproofed. On the military version, the engine, along with all of the electrical systems, like the ignition and also the transmission, were completely sealed.

This meant that the Champ was waterproof, with the engine perfectly able to run even when completely submerged. Video footage of the vehicle taken in the deep wading tank at Chertsey shows this very well, with the only thing required to wade being the erection of the deep wading air intake on the front right of the bonnet. As long as the air intake was out of the water, the Champ was perfectly able to wade through any depth, although the real limitations of its wading were down to the height of the driver more than anything technical on the vehicle.

In the freshwater deep wading tank at Farnborough, 19th November The driver has sensibly prepared for immersion. The snorkel is up and the Champ will show its waterproofing to the full. Source: David Busfield on Flickr. The transmission system for the Champ was a robust 5-speed box with synchromesh connected to a Borg and Beck clutch. This made for a simple and robust system, to which a drive shaft was connected running under the truck to the transfer box at the back and thence to the rear wheels.

The reversing gearing for the Champ was located in the transfer box at the back, which, in effect, meant that the Champ could go backward at the same speed it could go forwards, although it is unclear who, if anyone, ever tried reversing one at 50 mph One extra thing included on the civilian model was a Power Take-Off PTO on the transfer box, as it would be more useful for civilian farm-related tasks. This unusual system provided for a superb level of comfort even off-road.

The Champ operated on a volt electrical system allowing for easy fitting of radio equipment to form an FFW Fitted For Wireless vehicle, with just the addition of a sliding table and battery mounts. Civilian versions of the Champ operated on a more conventional and simpler volt electrical system. Operating on a 20 gallon As part of FV series vehicles, there were sub-designations of the Champ in service. The standard general service Champ was not armed but, like the Jeep before it, could be adapted to carry a variety of weapons for whatever task it might be called upon to fulfill.

Weapons carried on various mounts included the. Introduced to the British airborne force in , the mm recoilless rifle, in particular, offered a valuable capability for them, specifically the ability to bring a weapon capable of defeating any known tank at the time on an airborne operation on a mobile platform.

This weapon, the M40, was actually mm in caliber, but classed and named as mm to avoid confusion with mm tank ammunition. Loaded with a single shell at the time via a folding breech, it could fire a high explosive anti-tank round capable of defeating up to mm of armor to a maximum range of just under 7 km.

With a. A Champ used in a short TV film from British comedy duo Morecambe and Wise featured a Vickers water-cooled machine gun mounted inside the passenger space. This was not the correct mounting point for the weapon and only seems to have appeared because of the show itself. The Vickers machine gun mount was carried, in the normal position, on the front left of the vehicle and, therefore, would not have to fire over or through the driver to get to the target.

The armor protection was modest. A large single angled plate was mounted on the front, covering the vulnerable radiator extending just above the bonnet, and would deflect bullets upwards over the vehicle or down in the ground. For the men crewing the vehicle, two rectangular shields were provided, with one for the driver and another for the front seat passenger featuring a cut out for a.

Less clear at first glance is what appears to be a semi-circular armor plate riveted over the dashboard bulkhead.

Presumably, a cut-out was provided for the dials so the crew could see the speed of the vehicle, but this additional protection would prevent shots that avoided the front deflector plate from injuring the crew by simply passing through the top of the vehicle above the bonnet. No side, rear, or roof armor protection was provided and the arrangement was clearly set out with a reconnaissance version in mind.

The total weight of the armor is unclear, but it was not extensive, so it is unlikely to have affected the performance outside of making it harder for the driver to see where he was going. The thickness of the armor is also unknown, but to be of use ballistically, it would likely be 8 to 10 mm thick. The high mounting position of the machine gun is also of note. Positioned as it was, the front seat passenger would clearly be able to operate the gun from a seated position, firing forwards with complete coverage for their head from the plating.

This would not be the most accurate way of firing, as aiming would be very difficult. If accurate firing was needed, the operator could simply stand up and still have their torso behind the plate. The regular British Army got the Champ just too late for the war in Korea, but in time for the intervention in Suez in Basically, everywhere the Army of the era would be stationed, one could expect a Champ to make an appearance.

The British Army was not the only user either. They wanted these as a supplement rather than as a replacement to the Jeep.

This was followed by the purchase of another used vehicles from British Army stocks. Two other Champs fitted with the Austin A90 engine instead of the Rolls Royce B40 were trialed in Australia but returned after testing. Like the British, who had fitted a recoilless rifle to theirs, one Australian vehicle was also fitted with an MA1 mm rifle, but only on an experimental basis. All of the Australian vehicles were withdrawn from service in the mids.

The French Army also trialed a cargo version of the Champ in , fitted with a one-ton winch. That Champ was tested by loading it with kg of ballast and driving across various terrain.

The Champ passed the French trials very well and performed better off-road than the French Delahaye VLR, but was eventually rejected in preference for the French vehicle. Automotively, the vehicle was excellent. It had good performance, great riding characteristics, was solidly built, and had a rugged and reliable engine with lots of commonality with other vehicles for a low logistic burden to support it. With that, it might be surmised that the vehicle was a success, but it was not.

It was prone to misuse and abuse, being fun to drive off-road, which caused some issues with broken rear axles. The primary problem, just as it had been with the Mudlark, was a lack of attention to oil levels in the axles. The overly complex electrical system and other features also proved hard to service and the benefit of spares interchangeability across other vehicles proved to be less useful than it might have been.

Despite this, the vehicle was popular, comfortable, and fitted with a heater. This was guaranteed to win the hearts of many soldiers but all of these were side issues to the real problem.

The Champ was a bit too good. It just cost too much and did more than the Army really needed. The designers had gone too far and really built the Rolls Royce of Jeeps when what was needed was more a Toyota of Jeeps, reliable, but at a better price. With some 15, on order, this meant a huge cost that post-war Britain could little afford to spend on gold-plated vehicles. With the arrival of a cost-effective alternative in the form of the Land Rover from Rover Motor Cars, at nearly half the price and nearly all the capability, the Champ was doomed.

Around of the civilian version of the Champ were also made. As they were being phased out through the s, the Champs were pushed through Territorial Army units before the final vehicles were sold off in It was clear that the British designers were trying to build a better Jeep, not just copy the Jeep outright.

Although this led to some significant improvements, it also significant increased complexity and cost, which would ultimately be the down fall of the Austin Champ.

The Champ was initially powered by a Rolls-Royce B40 4-cylinder engine with a swept capacity of 2. Power was sent back to a 5-speed all-synchromesh gearbox and from there to a rear-mounted transfer box and differential assembly which included a reverse gear. One unusual benefit of this arrangement is that the Champ famously has five forward gears and five reverse.

Power was sent to the front differential via a long shaft which also included a dog clutch to enable four-wheel drive when required. The suspension consists of double wishbones at all four corners with longitudinal torsion bars, a rubber cone and cup system, and double-acting telescopic dampers.

Brakes consist of hydraulically actuated drums front and back with no power assistance. The first production Champs were powered by the 2. Austin took great pains to waterproof the engine, fuel system, and electrical systems, and a fold-up snorkel was fitted to the right side of the hood. A civilian version was made available shortly after production commenced, but it proved to be unpopular.

Roughly examples were produced, mostly for export. Most civilian Champs featured an inexpensive Austin A90 engine, and all of them received a fixed windshield. Naturally, accessories such as rifle racks were omitted as well.

The Champ seen here was originally a military model, and now it's yours for civilian use. This is a "Fitted For Wireless FFW " model, which means that it's fitted with extra batteries and an improved charging system to prepare it for communications equipment.

If you'd like to add this unique piece of militaria to your British car collection, you can find it right here on Motorious. If a classic, WWII-era jeep is just too common for your tastes, this could be just what you're looking for.

Oct 17, — 2 min read. Cam VanDerHorst.