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During the WW1, sixteen American Peerless trucks were modified by the British to serve as armoured cars. These were relatively primitive designs with open backs armed with a Pom-pom gun and a machine gun, and were delivered to the British army in 1915. They were used also by the Tsarist Russian Army as self-propelled anti-aircraft guns.-
After the war, a new design was needed to replace armoured cars that had been worn out. As a result, the Peerless Armoured Car design was developed in 1919. It was based on the chassis of the Peerless three ton lorry, with an armoured body built by the Austin Motor Company.
The Peerless lorry was a relatively slow and heavy vehicle but was reckoned to be tough with solid rubber tires and rear wheel chain drive. The armour for the vehicle produced by the Austin company was based on an earlier design created for the Russian Army, which had been used in very limited numbers at the end of the war in France. The original Austin design, however, was shorter than the Peerless and the resulting combination was awkward and difficult to steer in confined spaces. In order to reduce the problem, a duplicate set of driving controls were installed at the rear of the vehicle.-
The most common variant was a twin turret design fitted with two machine guns. However, a number of other variants were developed including a vehicle armed with a 3-inch gun and an anti-aircraft variant armed with a 13 pound AA gun.-
Specifications
Weight 6.9 t (7.6 short tons; 6.8 long tons)
Length 6.12 m
Width 2.23 m
Height 2.77 m
Crew 4
Armor 10 mm (0.39 in) maximum
Main armament Two Hotchkiss 0.303 (7.7 mm) machine guns
Engine Peerless 40 bhp (30 kW)
Operational range: 145 km (90 mi)
Speed 25 km/h (16 mph)
After the war, a new design was needed to replace armoured cars that had been worn out. As a result, the Peerless Armoured Car design was developed in 1919. It was based on the chassis of the Peerless three ton lorry, with an armoured body built by the Austin Motor Company.
The Peerless lorry was a relatively slow and heavy vehicle but was reckoned to be tough with solid rubber tires and rear wheel chain drive. The armour for the vehicle produced by the Austin company was based on an earlier design created for the Russian Army, which had been used in very limited numbers at the end of the war in France. The original Austin design, however, was shorter than the Peerless and the resulting combination was awkward and difficult to steer in confined spaces. In order to reduce the problem, a duplicate set of driving controls were installed at the rear of the vehicle.-
The most common variant was a twin turret design fitted with two machine guns. However, a number of other variants were developed including a vehicle armed with a 3-inch gun and an anti-aircraft variant armed with a 13 pound AA gun.-
Specifications
Weight 6.9 t (7.6 short tons; 6.8 long tons)
Length 6.12 m
Width 2.23 m
Height 2.77 m
Crew 4
Armor 10 mm (0.39 in) maximum
Main armament Two Hotchkiss 0.303 (7.7 mm) machine guns
Engine Peerless 40 bhp (30 kW)
Operational range: 145 km (90 mi)
Speed 25 km/h (16 mph)
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