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Ford Model T (Admiralty Pattern)

Armored Car

Specifications

Country of Origin/Used by:	Great Britain
First Produced/Service Dates:	1917
Manufactured by:	Automotive Components: Ford Motor Company; Construction/Armor: W.G. Allen & Sons of Tipton U.K.
Crew:	3
Armament:	(1) .303 Vickers Machine Gun
Engine:	4-Cylinder Gasoline
Miscellaneous Info:	After their stellar service using armored cars earlier in World War One, ground units the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) were to be sent to Russia to aid their Eastern allies. This new unit was deemed the Russian Armored Car Division of the RNAS.  Leaning on their vast experience, the Division decided that a lighter armored vehicle with better cross-country performance, would be more useful on the notoriously bad Russian terrain.  The new vehicle, the Ford Model T (Admiralty Pattern) Armored Car, was designed by Chief Petty Officer L. Gutteridge using the ubiquitous Ford Model T car. Stripped of all unnecessary components, the cars had a strengthened suspension (i.e. added leaf-springs and the tie-rods connected to the rear axle) mated with a unique armored hull. Nine (9) were reportedly built and at least six (6) went to Russia. By all accounts they performed well, so additional cars and improved designs were planned.  However, the Russian Revolution cut those plans short before the RNAS Division was sent back home. As side notes, a shorter version of the vehicle was designed to carry a .303 Lewis machine gun.  As a result, the crew could be reduced to two (2) instead. However, it does not appear to have been built. In addition, it is also known that the armored hull of a surplus Ford car was mated to a Fiat Truck, which also had extra armor fitted to driver's compartment.
Data Sheet Available:	None Available

Photos

Reference	Source/Provider
Ford Model T (Admiralty Pattern) Armored Car Photo	The Imperial War Museum

References Available

Online

Printed

Reference	Author
A Photo History of Armoured Cars In Two World Wars	George Forty
British Armoured Cars: 1914-1945	B.T. White
Early Armoured Cars (Shire Album #209)	E. Bartholomew
Encyclopedia of Armoured Cars	Duncan Crow & Robert J. Icks
"Fighting Fords, The" (June 2023 Issue of Classic Military Vehicle Magazine)	David Fletcher
War Cars: British Armoured Cars in the First World War	David Flecther

Hobby Modeling

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Model Photos