Strange One
 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MILIT...item4158537bf0

Anyone else see a "family" resemblance?

From the quoted source by Crismon, the XM521 was built by the Detroit Arsenal and used a Willys AO-164 horizontally opposed 4 cylinder 105 HP from 164 CID. The 5250 pounds empty was less than half the empty weight of either M34 or M135 for the same useful load. It is stated that it performed well cross country and swimming. Even by the standards of the day the truck wasn't highly powered (and the engine wasn't a large displacement with high torque but low horsepower design) so I wonder how it did on the highway. It had 2 12" propellors for water drive when built, I didn't see them in the photos of the sale vehicle. It was a test vehicle, not sure if there were more than one made or if this is the "one and only".

I cannot swear by this BUT....
 

In the early 1980 when I was travelling to Pittsburg a lot..... I spent a lot of time in area junk yards.... in Butler, Penn. (home of the original Jeep) just North of Pittsburg, I believe I have seen and photographed two similar vehicles(35mm color but God knows where they are now) ....... one had a series of pick axe holes in every floatation section ...was it a test or wilful de-activation..? ... the second one was more complete.....both were painted sand color and I believe they were all aluminium construction. Can't remember seeing propellers. Same junk yard had a small used (burned out heat shield & blown hatch) space capsule as a front yard display.... tons of crated fording kits and 100s of FC Air Force Jeeps that had the 3 cylinder diesel engines removed for Amish farms.... yet the bodies were immaculate.....air compressor with Hemi engines and waterproof ignitions similar to M37s........crated 283 or 327 with waterproof carburators and ignition system....... those were the good old days when I could spend $100 and totally fill up my Camaro with surplus parts.


Bob