CAPLAD: Car, Armoured, Personnel, LAD, Ambulance and Demolition

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by David_Hayward (RIP)

It would appear that the Ministry of Supply experimented with a body based on the Fox chassis though with the driver moved to the right side to enable his mate to sit on the left. G.M. of Canada must have produced the ‘British’ design, but were not happy with what was achieved and thus they spent considerable effort and time into producing a vehicle with the chassis omitted, but using Otter Reconnaissance Car components, and thus the 270 G.M.C. engine. However, the engine was rear-mounted in the manner of the Ford of Canada Model C298QR(F) following on from the C011QRF of 1940, then the C191QRF of 1941 which were built up with their own Armoured truck design. The roles envisaged were command, armoured lorry, personnel carrier, and light aid detachment service vehicle.

The Canadian design mounted chassis components directly onto the hull, and the pilot model was produced in 1944.

The GM engineers came up with an entirely new approach, i.e. a vehicle with the frame omitted. All the drive line components were mounted directly to the all-welded armoured hull. The drawing for this was submitted in January 1943.

Note: I am not sure if this indeed was an entirely new approach, as the same design principle where applied to the South African Reconnaissance Car, Mark IV of which production started in 1943.

General Motors of Canada's prototype for a Caplad was of frameless construction:
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