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Local Pattern 3 & 4 Armored Car

LP-3

Specifications

Country of Origin/Used by:	Australia
First Produced/Service Dates:	LP-3: 1939 LP-4: 1939-1940
Manufactured by:	Chassis: Ford Motor Company; Assembly/Hull: Australian Army Ordnance Factory (LP-3) & South Australian Railways (LP-4)
Crew:	3?
Armament:	Turret: (1) .303 Lewis Machine Gun
Engine:	8-Cylinder Gasoline
Miscellaneous Info:	The improved Local Pattern (LP) 3 and 4 Armored Cars followed the earlier LP 2 cars a couple years later. As both the LP-3 and LP-4 were near identical, we are presenting the LP-3 and LP-4 variants together in this index.  Both variants were based upon Ford 3-ton truck chassis and automotive components. However, the earlier car used the 1938 8IT model and the LP-4 was based on the 1939 9IT model. Their hulls were very similar, although not identical as they were built in different workshops. The main difference between the two is that the LP-3 was a 4x2 vehicle, but the LP-4 was 4x4 as it utilized a Marmon-Herrington All Wheel Drive Transmission.  The most recognizable visual identifying feature between them is the difference in the shape of the turrets.  The LP-3's turret had an angular shape, whereas the LP-4's were circular. A total of six (6) LP-3's and nine (9) LP-4's were produced.  Although an improvement from the earlier LP armored cars, they only served in Australia and were declared obsolete in 1942 and then scrapped in 1945.
Data Sheet Available:	None Available

Photos

References Available

Online

Printed

Reference	Author
Australian Military Equipment Profiles (Volume 3): Australian Scout and Armoured Cars: 1933 - 1945	Michael Cecil
"Dingo, the Rover & the Rhino, The" (February 2021 Issue of Classic Military Vehicle Magazine)	David Fletcher
Encyclopedia of Armoured Cars	Duncan Crow and Robert J. Icks

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