Production history Austin Armoured Car

austins 1st series.

in august 1914, after beginning of first world war, army of russian empire started form armoured car units. due limited production capabilities of country s automotive industry decided order number of vehicles abroad. committee sent united kingdom, failed find armoured car met requirements overhead protection , 2 machine gun turrets.

to meet these requirements, austin motor company designed new armoured car. vehicle, known austin 1st series, based on passenger car chassis rear-axle drive. wheels wooden, spoked, pneumatic tyres , additional set of wheels full rubber tyres use in combat carried. 2 maxim machine guns mounted in separate turrets placed on both sides of hull behind driver s cab. vehicle protected armour plates 3.5–4 mm thick screwed body frame. crew of 4 – commander, driver , 2 gunners – enter or leave vehicle via door on left side of cab or via big two-leaf rear door. on 29 september 1914, 48 armoured cars ordered. 1 car cost 1,150 pounds. after arrival in russia front , turret armour replaced 7 mm plates. first combat experience, however, revealed protection still weak , vehicles rearmoured @ izhorski works, izhorsk. improved armour made austins heavier, resulting in limited mobility , in chassis damage. however, car still considered more successful alternative designs by, among others, armstrong whitworth, renault , sheffield-simplex.

on 6 march 1915 russians ordered 60 vehicles of improved design, known austin 2nd series. time chassis of 1.5 ton truck more powerful engine used. hull shorter, thicker armour, driver s cab roof modified improve machine guns angle of fire. less welcome removal of rear access door. army decided wanted rear driving post, after arrival russia vehicles fitted redesigned rear hull section, housed second driving post , additional hatch. upgrade addition of side shields machine guns.

sixty units of austin 3rd series ordered on 25 august 1916. vehicles similar in characteristics 2nd series, had modified rear hull driving post, mg shields, bulletproof glass in front vision slots , lacked big side windows.

yet version, strengthened chassis , double rear wheels, referred austin model 1918, ordered in 1917 due events in russia none delivered.

russian austins

austin-putilov in artillery museum, saint-petersburg

in 1916 decision made produce russian armoured car on known austin chassis. sixty chassis units – identical used in 3rd series – ordered austin. mission of building armoured hulls entrusted putilovski works, saint petersburg. planned build cars july 1917, work virtually brought halt february revolution , subsequent chaos. not until march 1918 first cars produced. later production transferred izhorski works. total of 33 vehicles produced in 1918–1920. in contemporary russian documents model referred russian austin (russian: Русский Остин – russkij ostin), became better known austin-putilov (russian: Остин-Путиловец – ostin-putilovets).

twelve hulls identical of austin-putilov mounted on kégresse halftrack chassis, resulting in vehicles known austin-kégresse. production continued july 1919 until march 1920 when stopped shortage of materials , parts.

russian austins obvious features diagonally placed mg turrets (in order reduce width) , additional right side door. had mg mounts better elevation , other minor improvements.