ID Needed - Is This an Armoured Car Chassis?

[Stuart Kirkham]

Hello all

I found this rather unusual vehicle today in country Western Australia. It has been converted to a winch truck for the sole purpose of winching large fishing boats onto the beach. It has a large drum winch mounted directly in front of the driver and is powered by a driveshaft from the motor.

My first thought were that it is the chassis from an armoured car as it has a very short wheelbase and appears to have the original rear mounted motor and the front drivers positions. Whether the motor is the original is unknown as I could not get access to it to find out.

The chassis does not look as if it has been cut/shortened and the running gear look original.

The plating in front of the of the drivers position appears to be original armoured body plate cut to form the front and side panels of the 'dash'. The instrument panel and steering wheel may give some clues.

Can anyone shed some light on the original configuration of this vehicle?