AUSTIN CHAMP

After WWII, many of the Allies’ vehicle designs used during the conflict continued in service. By the late 1940s, however, most countries realized that more modern vehicles would soon be required. As the British army began looking for replacements to update its ageing fleet of soft-skinned vehicles, it focused on a worthy stand-in for the Jeep. Even though there was plenty of service life left in the venerable American Jeeps, the British Army envisioned something different.

In 1947, the British Army launched its search for the new vehicle, which it labeled, “Project Car 4X4 5cwt (quarter ton) FV1800 Series.” The Nuffield Organization which owned the subsidiary company of Morris Motors Ltd., produced three prototype vehicles known as the “Nuffield Gutty.”

The Gutty’s extensive field trials revealed the design