LRDG Ford 15wt question

[Hanno Spoelstra]

The pictures above are (also) found on the website http://www.lrdg.de/main.htm with the following caption:

Pilot Cars

Ford 01 V8 - These left-hand drive vehicles were acquired in early 1941 for patrol use after the small Chevy trucks that were initially intended as pilot cars proved to be rather unfit for desert use. Although the Fords performed remarkably well in rugged terrain, their V8 engines did not take kindly to constantly being exposed to sand, and by the end of the year, all the Ford engines had worn out and the trucks had to be replaced - first by a small number of 8cwt Fords, about which virtually nothing is known, then by Chevrolet 1311s.