Daimler Dingo Scout Car Mk III
Built under a contract dated 12 December 1941 which covered 1,206 vehicles described originally as Scout Cars Mark II with the Daimler Company of Coventry, this vehicle was completed to Mark III standard.
The difference between Marks II and III was minimal: the Mk II was an improved version of the original Mk I but with steering on the front axle only and a revised arrangement of ventilating louvres at the rear end. Although in theory a Mk II could have an armoured roof this was rarely fitted and in the Mk III a canvas one became standard. The Mk III also had improved insulation of the ignition system for waterproofing purposes. This could well have been in anticipation of the forthcoming invasion of France.
Small, light and fast, scout cars like this were almost unique to the British Army, with other nations preferring larger wheeled or even tracked vehicles to perform the same role of reconnaissance. The British preferred to train the crews to scout, not fight. The vehicle was only armed with a .303-calibre Bren machine-gun (not fitted).
Weighing 3.5 tons, it had a top speed of 55 mph and carried a crew of two. Unusually, the wheels have no valves for inflation. This is because the wheels are solid rubber!
Seen at the Tank Museum, Bovington, Dorset.
Daimler Dingo Scout Car Mk III
Built under a contract dated 12 December 1941 which covered 1,206 vehicles described originally as Scout Cars Mark II with the Daimler Company of Coventry, this vehicle was completed to Mark III standard.
The difference between Marks II and III was minimal: the Mk II was an improved version of the original Mk I but with steering on the front axle only and a revised arrangement of ventilating louvres at the rear end. Although in theory a Mk II could have an armoured roof this was rarely fitted and in the Mk III a canvas one became standard. The Mk III also had improved insulation of the ignition system for waterproofing purposes. This could well have been in anticipation of the forthcoming invasion of France.
Small, light and fast, scout cars like this were almost unique to the British Army, with other nations preferring larger wheeled or even tracked vehicles to perform the same role of reconnaissance. The British preferred to train the crews to scout, not fight. The vehicle was only armed with a .303-calibre Bren machine-gun (not fitted).
Weighing 3.5 tons, it had a top speed of 55 mph and carried a crew of two. Unusually, the wheels have no valves for inflation. This is because the wheels are solid rubber!
Seen at the Tank Museum, Bovington, Dorset.