German/Spanish/Soviet Chevrolet 1937 armoured car

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

From 1934 GM's plant in Pontiac, Michigan produced CKD GMC kits for the Belgian and Dutch Armies supplied through GM Contninental SA/BV in Anvers/Antwerpen and sales office in Rotterdam. By 1936 the US Government had started buying GMCs, and Chevrolets, and the designs were shown to the Canadian DND. Basically, Chevrolet and GMC 6 x 4 chassis were available officially with Thornton rear-drive using Timken-Detroit components. Thornotn had first offerd 6 x 4 Chevy conversions at least as early as 1932 for oil exploration work. The Chevrolet and GMC were the same basic chassis, but with different engines at least in the export configuration and although there were no export 6 x 4 Oldsmobile trucks they were all sourced from Pontiac and say an Olds truck would have 'GMC' pedals, the GMC used an Oldsmobile engine, and the Chevrolet a GMC chassis. Very much 'badge engineering' [and this was very much the case with the Canadian Maple Leaf and GMC trucks]. Differences? Front grilles basically, and engine installation: Chevrolet, Oldsmobile or Hercules diesel. Pontiac then just bought in components off the shelf to extend and adapt the chassis to specific requirements. So, the Spanish assembly operation could have used DAF Trado or Thornton conversions.