Classic military vehicles we love

You'll know by now that we love our classic cars here at Lancaster, and are proud to be able to provide insurance for classic cars for many of the wonderful motors that still adorn Britain's roads and driveways today.

But what you may not know is that we also insure classic military vehicles, too. We can offer cover for a huge range of former military machines, from jeeps via armoured cars to tanks.
With this in mind, we thought we'd share with you a list of some of our favourite classic military vehicles from down the decades. Do you own, or aspire to own, any of these mighty machines? If so, we can help you with all your needs!

Simms Motor War Car

It would be nice to begin, we thought, with the first armoured car ever built: the Motor War Car, designed by one F.R. Simms – engineer, businessman, inventor and early motor industry figurehead (he also coined the words 'petrol' and 'motorcar', as well as founding two organisations still with us today, the RAC and the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. Busy fellow.).

Anyway, back to the Motor War Car. At 8 metres long, it was essentially a basic four-wheel chassis covered in 6mm thick metal armour, with two guns each sitting in their own turret. Built to run on rough surfaces, it accommodated a crew of four. A four-cylinder, 3.3-litre, 16hp engine gave it a maximum speed of around 9 miles per hour. It was built by Vickers, Sons & Maxim of Barrow-in-Furness (later simply Vickers, the famous military engineers) onto a bespoke Daimler chassis built in Coventry. The engine was Daimler again, but built in Germany this time.

So far, so good – and the British Army duly ordered a prototype in April 1899, just before the outbreak of World War II. Alas, there were problems at the construction stage, and Vickers was unable to deliver the prototype until 1902, by which time the Boer conflict was over.
Nonetheless, the Simms Motor War Car was proudly presented at London's Crystal Palace in April 1902 – and fully deserves its place in any list of important British military vehicles.

Alvis Saladin

Alvis? Weren't they makers of some rather stylish post-war cars, such as the beautiful TC- 21 sports saloon? Well, yes they were, but in fact the Coventry-based firm also diversified into racing cars, aircraft engines and, of interest to us here, various armoured vehicles.

The six-wheeled FV601 Saladin armoured car was first developed by Manchester’s Crossley Motors and, when the latter company folded, later manufactured by Alvis. Designed in 1954, it replaced the AEC Armoured Car as the British Army's standard armoured vehicle from 1958 onwards. Weighing in at 11 tonnes, the Saladin could manage a top speed of 45mph and could accommodate a crew of three. It was particularly proficient in desert environments, and as a result became popular with a number of national armies in the Middle East. The Saladin is still seeing service in some countries today.

Its main moment with the British Army, however, was during the 1974 defence of Nicosia airport, in Cyprus, from the Turkish invasion of the island. Elsewhere, almost 100 Saladins went to West Germany as part of our efforts to assist the young country's newly-formed Bundesgrenzschutz (federal border guard) in the 1950s, where they found use on border patrols.

Fascinatingly, most of these were then sold to the tiny Central American country of Honduras, where they were seen as recently as 2009 in the streets of the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa, during the successful coup against President Manuel Zelaya. A far cry from the West/East German border.

Willys Jeep

If ever there was an iconic military vehicle, recognisable on sight by even the most casual observer, we'd probably nominate the Willys Jeep (or, more simply, the Jeep) for the honour. Also known more formally as the US Army Truck, it was arguably the most successful and ubiquitous light military off-roader of World War II.

The Jeep became the main light vehicle of the US and its allies, with President Eisenhower labelling it "one of three decisive weapons the US had during WWII (the other two being the bazooka rocket launcher and the C47 transport aircraft)." The Jeep also earns itself the distinction of being the world's first mass-produced four-wheel drive car, with almost 650,000 examples built.

Tough and versatile, the jeep was the US Army's jack of all trades during the war. Subsequently, the vehicle found use with countries all over the world, making it possibly the world's most recognisable military vehicle. Ohio-based producers Willys modified the original design to produce the civilian Jeep CJ-2A at the end of the war: they also trademarked the Jeep name, which has been a mainstay of the 4x4 and off-road sectors ever since.

The humble Jeep's evolution can be traced all the way to today's Jeep Wrangler.
Its large, long production run means that many classic original military Jeeps are still around, whether in private ownership or as part of museum collections. The Jeep would thus make an ideal entry into the world of military vehicles: why not see if you can acquire your own slice of military history – and then come to us at Lancaster for the military vehicle insurance you’ll need?

Royal Enfield motorbikes

Based in Redditch, Worcestershire, Royal Enfield turned out an impressive range of civilian motorbikes during the 1930s and 1940s. The first models were dubbed ‘Slopers’, a reference to their diagonally-mounted engines: in 1936, however, the company started building vertical engines into its bikes, a pattern it stuck with for the next quarter century.
The range included the 350cc Model C (with side valve) and its companion, the CO (overhead valve), which got a four-speed foot-change gearbox. More than 29,000 WD/C and WD/CO bikes (the WD stood for War Department) went to Allied forces during World War II: when hostilities ceased, these military versions were refurbished for civilian use and sold alongside the new postwar models.

Another Royal Enfield favourite was the smaller 126cc 'Flying Flea'. Its lightweight (just 56kg) and purpose-built parachute cage allowed this two-stroke bike to be dropped behind enemy lines, giving soldiers all-important mobility and communications options.

Its most famous moment came at the Battle of Arnhem in 1944, when the Flea played a huge role in establishing communications between the various airborne units that had landed haphazardly around the area, and in transporting troops towards the battle zone.

Morris C8

Next up it’s the Morris C8 or the Morris Commercial C8 FAT (Field Artillery Tractor), to give it its full name. The C8 was used by British and Commonwealth forces during WWII to tow large field artillery such as the 25-pounder gun-howitzer, and anti-tank guns including the 17-pounder.

Its 3,500cc, four-cylinder engine was mounted on a subframe and not directly onto the chassis, and put out 70hp. The C8's slope-sided, 'beetle back' exterior, meanwhile, was made entirely of metal and was built to be able to take part in chemical weapon decontamination.

A large number of Morris C8s were lost as the British Army withdrew from Dunkirk in 1940, but the vehicle was still being built in large numbers by Morris, Ford and Chevrolet, and would later do fine service in the North Africa, Italy and north-west Europe campaigns.

Despite being a little noisy and rough-riding, the C8 was tough and reliable, and remained in service until 1960, also being deployed during the conflicts in Korea and Malaya.

Bedford MW

Another hugely versatile vehicle, the Bedford MW somehow managed, despite not even having the advantage of four wheel drive, to be one of the mainstays of Britain's World War II campaign. With its straight six, 3.5-litre engine putting out 72hp, the MW's decent power, short wheelbase, low centre of gravity and light weight meant that it accelerated well and gave great handling.

The MW was originally designed to perform various infantry duties, but as the war went on it found itself deployed in a number of different situations. It was also used by the Navy, RAF, and various government departments: and it spawned a number of variants including the MWC water tank truck, MWT anti-aircraft gun tractor, MWR radio truck and MWV RAF signals van.

M4 Sherman tank

Named after an American Civil War general, the M4 Sherman tank was reliable and relatively inexpensive to build – and thus became the most popular medium-sized tank with the Allies in World War II.

Via the US' Lend-Lease programme, tens of thousands of Shermans made their way to both the British Army and its Commonwealth allies, and to the Soviet Union. In total, almost 50,000 Shermans were produced in America. The tank played a key role in many Allied offensives from 1942 onwards, in particular with the British Army at the Second Battle of El Alamein where it proved its superiority over the lighter but less capable German and Italian tanks.

The tank went on to be used, in a variety of conflicts, by around 40 nations around the globe, from Argentina to Yugoslavia.

Centurion tank

If the Sherman dominated proceedings in the latter half of World War II, when it came to the post-war years – for the British Army at least – the Centurion took up the mantle. Introduced in 1945, the Centurion had a long production run, continuing to be made until the 1960s, and still playing front-line combat roles into the 1980s. Strong armour, excellent manoeuvrability and potent firepower were among its many trump cards.

The Centurion's first outing was for the Korean War of 1950-53: it also performed service, alongside the Australian army, in the Vietnam War, and with Israel during 1973's Yom Kippur conflict.

Like many a classic military vehicle, the Centurion had, in one form or another, an extremely long active service: during the Israel-Lebanon conflict of 2006, for example, the Israeli army deployed modified Centurions as armoured troop carriers. Variants included the ingenious ARK – essentially a Centurion that was able to convert into a ramp, spanning some 23 metres.

Armadillo

During the autumn, winter and spring of 1940-41, all the talk in Britain was of invasion. With the British Army having retreated out of France in June 1940, the Germans were setting their sights on the UK – and the need for many forms of defence suddenly became urgent.

Enter the Armadillo, a hastily assembled armoured fighting vehicle produced in Britain during the 1940-41 invasion crisis. Put simply, the Armadillo was a wooden fighting compartment placed over a standard truck chassis, with the driver's cab protected by steel plates. Armadillos were pressed quickly into service, used by both the Home Guard, Britain's anti-invasion force, and by the RAF to protect aerodromes.

This last job was particularly crucial as a German invasion would be set in motion by airborne troops being parachuted in.

The Armadillo was only lightly armoured – but this wasn't seen as a problem, as those invading airborne troops would themselves be carrying little in the way of firepower. The vehicle simply needed to survive the bombardment that would precede an aerial landing. The vehicle was heavy, and not good on rough or soft ground – but again, this was no shortcoming, as the roads around airfields were likely to be the only routes it would be travelling.

There's certainly something reassuring about its stock, foursquare shape. 'You shall not pass', it seems to say.

Bedford RL

The RL was the medium-sized lorry of choice for the British Army, for around 15 years from the mid 1950 to the late 1960s. It was based on the SCL, Bedford's 7-ton truck back in the civilian world: the military counterpart got four-wheel drive and bigger wheels for enhanced ground clearance.

The RL lent itself well to adaptation in various formats: many became mobile workshops, radio vans, cable layers or recovery vehicles. It also provided the basis for the Green Goddess, the fore engine used for decades by the Auxiliary Fire Service.

Overseas, its biggest role was as chief medium truck for New Zealand's armed forces for over three decades, serving both at home and across south-east Asia.

Get classic car insurance and military vehicle insurance through Lancaster

It’s not just classic car insurance that we specialise in at Lancaster. Our specially designed military vehicle insurance scheme covers genuine ex-military vehicles aged 10 years or over.

Military vehicles for which we can provide insurance include:

• Ex-military Land Rovers, lorries and transporters
• Tracked vehicles (tanks, armoured personnel carriers)
• Trailers
• Limbers
• Field Guns

Benefits are also similar to that of our classic car insurance:

• Cover for shows and rallies
• Multi-vehicle policies available
• Discounts for members of selected car clubs

Get a quote for classic car insurance or military vehicle insurance today.

Policy benefits, features and discounts offered may very between insurance schemes or cover selected and are subject to underwriting criteria. Information contained within this article is accurate at the time of publishing but may be subject to change.