I had one as my daily transport back before the petrol went up to 50p a Gallon ! Great off road but thirsty. Just on the road taking things easy I got sometimes 15 miles to the gallon if lucky , off road bog all ! But great fun.
We had one in the Garage I worked in in the early 80s. I was told that the Pistons were common to the other similar engines and they just had more cylinders for a bigger engine so in the field one Piston Conrod etc fitted many engines. I also thought the Starter motor was waterproofed and built hefty enough that if it had a few batteries in it it could be wound 50 yards or so on the starter motor to get you out of a river etc. I sold my paperwork for them many years ago, it was classed as a FV1800. (The FV being for Fighting Vehicle) Great piece of history.
Thank you for watching and supporting the channel 👍🏼 Yes they are a fantastic old vehicle, way before my time, the full multi link independent suspension is so advanced for the time, the B40 engine I believe what’s it’s called is fantastic built to last, everything looks so heavy duty.
Beauty Austin Champ ROLLS ROYCE GOLD ENGINE WITH A REALY LONG STROKE THESE ENGINES WERE over 3 ft deep from sump to head great torque USED TO BLOW OUT THE DIFFS a lot Very powerful little engine I love it
Thank you for watching 👍🏼 Yes these are such a well built vehicles to say it’s from the 1950s, have heard the diffs are a weak point on these and have to regular check the oil.
I rode in one in Botswana, and it was surprising how smooth it was over really rough terrain compared to any other 4 x 4. They were very expensive compared to the Land Rover, so missed out on the big military contracts.
It was actually designed for the military and approximately 11,000 were made for the military in the U.K but it proved to be costly and complicated to maintain so the order for 15,000 was terminated early. A cheaper civilian version was available without the Rolls Royce engine and the waterproofing etc. they were all demobbed by 1967.
First saw the Manchester Yoemanry at Barry Buddon Camp (Barry Butliins) with them in1965,downloaded from the regulars according to one of the nco's,who had been in Suez and Cyprus. He told us the Army had them in both places, also told us the pros and cons. I was twelve years old at the time and decided one day I would have one. Lo and behold seven years later and the family had moved to North East Glasgow by this time when, one came up for sale in the evening paper.We bought it,for wait for it,for,-two hundred and ten quid,it was twenty years old then and mint,with twenty five thousand(miles) on the ciock,immaculate hood and side screens with doors.We later found out that each unit new cost the ministry fifteen hundred quid ex works in the early fifties. Today I am told thats about fifty thousand pounds(google it) This thing was a - BEAST - It would outperform any of our mates Jeeps or Landrovers, both trucks we rated. We were lucky we drove all over Glasgow and the West Highlands in this thing much to the amusement of many adults at the time a lot of whoom were veterans in those days, and often stopped for a chat. Many cops too, were also ex service at the time, they would stop us and, ask, 'what the blazes do you want a thing like this for ? ' 'camping' we replied, camping,you must be nuts son,' would come the reply',we had them in the Army, how d,you afford the nine miles to the gallon and the back axles,must be rich kids, John ! ' to his mate. I can honestly say,our Champ did twenty to the gallon, if kept below forty five mph,above that,consumption could be horrendous.This was not so much of a problem in those days due to the roads and most motorists then averaged forty mph in Scotland, apart from visiting Germans.(who quite often had to be extracted from lochs due to their unusuai teutonic driving technique which did not suit Highland Roads) We once fitted a clutch,Austin Gypsy if a remember. Our enjoyable days with our Champ came to an end when a lady in a BMW ran us of the road into a dry stone dyke near Oban. This resulted in a horrendous clanging noise from underneath the vehicle. With the help of the local police who found storage on a farm for us,we later returned and towed it back to Glasgow.The cops,especially in Oban were always helpfull in those days if you wer'nt a ned.Sadly when we got it back to Glasgow it was vandalised and taken away by scrap merchants. Probably was not much wrong,however people just did not have the knowledge and experience of such a vehicle at the time,even most garages.
Yea it’s madness what we paid for cars years ago, and what they are worth now…. Prices have just gone silly. Yes that’s what I find with a lot of classics these days simply can’t keep up with the very much rushed flow of traffic these days, no one has 2 seconds to spare, sooner risk there life and others coming towards just to make it to destination few seconds earlier. Plus the price of fuel has also badly affected running classic vehicle and all this carry on with E10/E5
sell it to Italian army- that's funny..very interesting and informative -thanks Tim for your insight into the vehicle...i just cleared out the attic and found the meccano model that i used to play with as a child....it was my grandpa's- he had a hand in the design...i would be interested to talk more with Tim ..
I recall my grandad telling me when he was in TA in 1963 he worked on Austin Champ in Kingsbury outside barracks and he said they were not easy to work on and when he went out to Cyprus for annual camp the regular army were testing Austin Gipsy out there.
I had one as my daily transport back before the petrol went up to 50p a Gallon ! Great off road but thirsty. Just on the road taking things easy I got sometimes 15 miles to the gallon if lucky , off road bog all ! But great fun.
Yes the owner informs me it’s very thirsty, what I could quite imagine
Thanks for watching
"It's a fair old beast." 😀
Thanks
We had one in the Garage I worked in in the early 80s. I was told that the Pistons were common to the other similar engines and they just had more cylinders for a bigger engine so in the field one Piston Conrod etc fitted many engines. I also thought the Starter motor was waterproofed and built hefty enough that if it had a few batteries in it it could be wound 50 yards or so on the starter motor to get you out of a river etc. I sold my paperwork for them many years ago, it was classed as a FV1800. (The FV being for Fighting Vehicle) Great piece of history.
Thank you for watching and supporting the channel 👍🏼
Yes they are a fantastic old vehicle, way before my time, the full multi link independent suspension is so advanced for the time, the B40 engine I believe what’s it’s called is fantastic built to last, everything looks so heavy duty.
Beauty Austin Champ ROLLS ROYCE GOLD ENGINE WITH A REALY LONG STROKE THESE ENGINES WERE over 3 ft deep from sump to head great torque USED TO BLOW OUT THE DIFFS a lot Very powerful little engine I love it
Thank you for watching 👍🏼
Yes these are such a well built vehicles to say it’s from the 1950s, have heard the diffs are a weak point on these and have to regular check the oil.
I rode in one in Botswana, and it was surprising how smooth it was over really rough terrain compared to any other 4 x 4. They were very expensive compared to the Land Rover, so missed out on the big military contracts.
Yes that was the biggest down fall was the cost, if that hadn’t of been the case these would have been very successful
It was actually designed for the military and approximately 11,000 were made for the military in the U.K but it proved to be costly and complicated to maintain so the order for 15,000 was terminated early. A cheaper civilian version was available without the Rolls Royce engine and the waterproofing etc. they were all demobbed by 1967.
Yes I have heard that 👍🏼
Fantastic old vehicle remember these well
Not built like this anymore
First saw the Manchester Yoemanry at Barry Buddon Camp (Barry Butliins)
with them in1965,downloaded from the regulars according to one of the nco's,who had been in Suez and Cyprus. He told us the Army had them in both places, also told us the pros and cons. I was twelve years old at the time and decided one day I would have one.
Lo and behold seven years later and the family had moved to North East Glasgow by this time when, one came up for sale in the evening paper.We bought it,for wait for it,for,-two hundred and ten quid,it was twenty years old then and mint,with twenty five thousand(miles) on the ciock,immaculate hood and side screens with doors.We later found out that each unit new cost the ministry fifteen hundred quid ex works in the early fifties. Today I am told thats about fifty thousand pounds(google it) This thing was a - BEAST - It would outperform any of our mates Jeeps or Landrovers, both trucks we rated. We were lucky we drove all over Glasgow and the West Highlands in this thing much to the amusement of many adults at the time a lot of whoom were veterans in those days, and often stopped for a chat. Many cops too, were also ex service at the time, they would stop us and, ask, 'what the blazes do you want a thing like this for ? ' 'camping' we replied, camping,you must be nuts son,' would come the reply',we had them in the Army, how d,you afford the nine miles to the gallon and the back axles,must be rich kids, John ! ' to his mate.
I can honestly say,our Champ did twenty to the gallon, if kept below forty five mph,above that,consumption could be horrendous.This was not so much of a problem in those days due to the roads and most motorists then averaged forty mph in Scotland, apart from visiting Germans.(who quite often had to be extracted from lochs due to their unusuai teutonic driving technique which did not suit Highland Roads) We once fitted a clutch,Austin Gypsy if a remember. Our enjoyable days with our Champ came to an end when a lady in a BMW ran us of the road into a dry stone dyke near Oban. This resulted in a horrendous clanging noise from underneath the vehicle. With the help of the local police who found storage on a farm for us,we later returned and towed it back to Glasgow.The cops,especially in Oban were always helpfull in those days if you wer'nt a ned.Sadly when we got it back to Glasgow it was vandalised and taken away by scrap merchants. Probably was not much wrong,however people just did not have the knowledge and experience of such a vehicle at the time,even most garages.
Yea it’s madness what we paid for cars years ago, and what they are worth now…. Prices have just gone silly.
Yes that’s what I find with a lot of classics these days simply can’t keep up with the very much rushed flow of traffic these days, no one has 2 seconds to spare, sooner risk there life and others coming towards just to make it to destination few seconds earlier.
Plus the price of fuel has also badly affected running classic vehicle and all this carry on with E10/E5
sell it to Italian army- that's funny..very interesting and informative -thanks Tim for your insight into the vehicle...i just cleared out the attic and found the meccano model that i used to play with as a child....it was my grandpa's- he had a hand in the design...i would be interested to talk more with Tim ..
Yes Tim is your man, I don’t know much about this vehicle way before my time
Thanks for watching 👍🏼
I recall my grandad telling me when he was in TA in 1963 he worked on Austin Champ in Kingsbury outside barracks and he said they were not easy to work on and when he went out to Cyprus for annual camp the regular army were testing Austin Gipsy out there.
Yeah it didn’t look very good to work on in all honesty.
Thanks for watching 👍🏼
@ Land Rover became staple vehicle for British Army.
@Crash-zm2qd
Yea thats correct
@@CarAddictGarageNE nice vehicle Austin champ is good for off roading
5 gears reverse comes in handy when face to face with a 70 tonne panzer
Yeah definitely lol
Love em
Fantastic machines
Drove em in the army
Can’t be many left these days
Great motor
.army preferred the land rover..bad move..
Thanks for watching 👍🏼
Toyota land cruiser
Austin Champ
@@CarAddictGarageNE
Japan got Coventry Austin & rolls.
Im still trying to figure out why we gave the enemy our prosperity.
Yeah it’s a strange one ain’t it, that’s typical British ain’t it lol