Stoneleigh Kelpie Scout

History

The British Army’s scout car: 6,626 built between 1939 and 1945, 2.8 long tons on a 1.98 m wheelbase, with a rear-mounted 2.5-litre Stoneleigh six of 55 hp, a fluid flywheel and a preselector gearbox giving five speeds in both directions, independent coil suspension and 30 mm of frontal armour. Two crew, 55 mph, 200 miles.

The Kelpie’s H-drive let the early marks steer on all four wheels, which cut the turning circle to 23 feet; drivers found it hard to handle at speed and it was dropped on the Mk II, taking the circle out to 38 feet. It served through the Second World War and on in Malaya, Cyprus and Vietnam until 1974 — no replacement was thought necessary until the Stoat arrived in 1952.