Tracked & Half-Track Land Rovers
The Centaur half-track
The engineering company Laird (Anglesey) Ltd was formed around 1968, incorporating the Beaumaris and Llangefni factories of Saunders-Roe (SARO) and the Birkenhead shipbuilders Cammell Laird. SARO originated as a boat building company and became involved in aircraft manufacture during the Second World War as part of the Gloster Aircraft company. At this time the company opened a factory at Fryars in Llanfaes, Anglesey, converting and maintaining Catalina flying boats and launching them onto Fryars Bay. The company is now known as FAUN Municipal Vehicles Ltd.
Laird developed the Centaur, which was half Land Rover and half light tank. It uses shortened versions of the Alvis Scorpion tank [CVR(T)] running gear for the tracks and the rest of the vehicle is stage 1 leaf sprung Land Rover. It weighs almost 4 tonnes (3880kg) unladen, almost 7 tonnes (6970kg) fully laden and has a maximum speed of approx 50 mph.
Stage 1 Centaur, possibly prototype 1
pictured in the copper mining workings of Parys Mountain near Amlwch on Anglesey.
This development dates from October 1978, when the first prototypes were constructed. These were stage 1 front ends, with an unrestricted version of the 3.5 litre V8 engine, giving 132 bhp at 5000rpm. The first three prototypes were right hand drive, the next three left hand drive, all of these started life as soft top versions. Several uses for this vehicle were envisaged, including ambulance, command car, bomb disposal, and missile platform.
Prototype 1 was completed in late April 1979 and tests were made at Anglesey and at the MIRA test track to a total of 3480 miles until end of June. The covered distance equalled a 10 year service life. After these trials Prototype 1 was transported to Norway for 3 months winter testing. Here it performed admirably, outperforming most other vehicles. It was later demonstrated in Libya. It is believed to be still there.
Prototype 2 visited various African states on a sales tour, It was later restored and now belongs to P.A. Blanchard.
Prototype 3 was altered for testing as a hard top style communications vehicle, then converted back to soft-top later. This vehicle also belongs to P.A. Blanchard.
Prototype 4 was extensively tested in Oman.
Pictures have been found of this prototype fitted with two machine guns.
Stage 1 Centaur (Prototype 4).
Prototype 4 pictured at the Sultan's Armed Forces Museum, Oman.
Prototype 5 was used as a company demonstrator, including use in Germany and the Persian Gulf.
This one belongs to the Tank Museum in Bovington.
Prototype 6 was demonstrated in Iraq (circa 1980).
In February 2005, Prototype 6 was discovered at Taji, north of Baghdad, Iraq.
It has since been rescued by the British Army's Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (R.E.M.E.) for restoration.
Am Rajaee sent in this picture, taken in Camp Cooke, Iraq.
Prototype 7 was built later, this time with the 110 coil sprung front-end. It is the only one painted in the sand colour. This one also belongs to the Tank Museum in Bovington.
110 Centaur (prototype 7).
110 Centaur (prototype 7).
Prototype 8 was also due to be built with a 110 front-end, but remained unfinished.
Centaur however, was ultimately not a successful design, as it failed to attract firm orders, and was shelved in 1985.
'Global Expedition' Tracked Land Rovers
In 1997, Land Rover agreed to sponsor an expedition conceived by Sir Ranulph Fiennes to drive around the world.
Three Defender 110's were equipped for the trip, scheduled for 1998. This trip was to be called 'Global Expedition'.
The tour was to cover more than 37000 km via London, Moscow and the Bering Strait, before going down again towards the United States.
A scouting mission was carried out, and the Mattracks equipped Land Rovers were tested in Alaska for durability in these harsh conditions.
When BMW took over at Land Rover however, the trip was cancelled, and these tracked wolf spec. machines were now redundant.
Soon after, a group of Rover employees were to do a trip to commemorate 50 years of Land Rover, the launch of Freelander, and take in 50 countries in 50 days - the Fifty/50 Challenge.
At least one of the expedition vehicles was painted gold, the tracks were removed, and a few other modifications were carried out allowing it to be used as the support and communications
vehicle to the three Freelanders used in the event.
The Fifty/50 Challenge tracked and untracked.
Similar vehicles.
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