The Austin Champ Was The Quirky British Answer To The American Jeep

The Austin Champ was created in the years after WWII as the British answer to the American Jeep. Development started in 1947 and resulted in a unique four-wheel drive with a Rolls-Royce engine, all-independent suspension, five forward and five reverse gears, and a built-in snorkel that allowed wading in water up to 6 feet deep.

What the team working on the Champ didn’t know what that over at Rover another four-wheel drive was being developed in the same year, and ultimately it would be this vehicle, the Land Rover, that would become the de facto choice for the British military.

Fast Facts – The Austin Champ

• Originally developed after WWII as a “British Jeep,” the Austin Champ was officially known as the “Truck, 1/4 ton, CT, 4×4, Cargo & FFW, Austin Mk.1.”
• The first versions of the Champ were powered by the 80 hp Rolls-Royce-designed B40 4-cylinder engine with a capacity of 2,838cc (2.8 liters).
• All Champs featured unique-for-the-time fully independent suspension on all four wheels, with double wishbones, longitudinal torsion bars, double-acting telescopic hydraulic dampers, and a rubber cone and cup system.
• Austin Champs are relatively uncommon nowadays as they were in production only from 1951 until 1956, it was later replaced with the much more Land Rover-like Austin Gypsy in 1958.

The British Need For A Homegrown Jeep

The American Jeep proved itself an invaluable invention throughout WWII in Europe, North Africa, and the Pacific theaters of war. The British bought vast numbers of them for their own use, but it was clear they needed to develop their own version using locally sourced materials and parts.

Much like the Jeep, the Champ has a stamped steel body on a steel chassis, and a fold down windscreen.

The development program began in 1947 and the Nuffield Organization built a series of three prototypes, these were then vastly improved upon by a team at the government Fighting Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (FVRDE) led by Charles William “Rex” Sewell.

Interestingly, the suspension system was designed by Alec Issigonis, the man who would later become famous as the designer of the Mini.

It was clear that the British designers were trying to build a better Jeep, not just copy the Jeep outright. Although this led to some significant improvements, it also significant increased complexity and cost, which would ultimately be the down fall of the Austin Champ. Even the official name was complicated: Truck, 1/4 ton, CT, 4×4, Cargo & FFW, Austin Mk.1.

Austin Champ – Specifications

The Champ was initially powered by a Rolls-Royce B40 4-cylinder engine with a swept capacity of 2.8 liters and an output of 80 hp. Power was sent back to a 5-speed all-synchromesh gearbox and from there to a rear-mounted transfer box and differential assembly which included a reverse gear.

One unusual benefit of this arrangement is that the Champ famously has five forward gears and five reverse. Power was sent to the front differential via a long shaft which also included a dog clutch to enable four-wheel drive when required.

The suspension consists of double wishbones at all four corners with longitudinal torsion bars, a rubber cone and cup system, and double-acting telescopic dampers. Brakes consist of hydraulically actuated drums front and back with no power assistance.

The first production Champs were powered by the 2.8 liter Rolls-Royce B40 4-cylinder engine producing 80 hp.

Austin took great pains to waterproof the engine, fuel system, and electrical systems, and a fold-up snorkel was fitted to the right side of the hood. This allowed even a standard Champ to wade through water up to six feet deep, though later Champs lacked this system as it was deemed not worth the extra cost.

Much like the Jeep, the Champ has a stamped steel body fitted to a steel chassis, the windscreen could be folded down, and a folding canvas roof could be fitted.

Both military and civilian versions of the vehicle were offered, however the military version was produced in vastly higher numbers. The Champ left production in 1956, in 1958 Austin introduced the far more Land Rover-like Austin Gypsy.

The Austin Champ Shown Here

The 1952 Champ you see here has been given a sympathetic restoration according to the listing, the patina has been left in place as you can tell, and the current owner has another Champ in his collection.

The original War office registration number for this Champ was 45 BE 78 and it’s had four owners since it was bought at a government surplus auction back in 1962.

It’s currently listed for sale on Car and Classic in the UK, bidding is live and at the time of writing it’s sitting at £9,100 which works out to approximately $12,400 USD. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.

Images courtesy of Car and Classic

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For Sale: The New Legend x Iron & Resin Super Scout II

This is the New Legend x Iron & Resin Super Scout II (SSII), it started life as a standard 1976 International Scout II that was rescued by the team at New Legend – probably the best company in the world at finding, restoring, and modifying classic Scouts.

Unlike other Scout builds from New Legend, this vehicle was a collaborative effort with the folks over at Iron & Resin in California. The resulting four-wheeler is an entirely unique Scout built to be a one-off evocation of the rare Super Scout II.

Fast Facts – The Super Scout II

• The original Super Scout II (SSII) was released by International Harvester in 1977 as a stripped down, off-road racing focussed version of the Scout with fabric doors, a fabric roof, and a number of other features designed to keep it light and nimble.
• The first Scout was introduced in 1961 as a competitor for the Jeep CJ, it proved so popular that Ford soon launched their own Bronco model, and others followed soon after.
• Scouts use a simple body-on-frame design with a front-mounted engine, either a manual or automatic gearbox, and four-wheel drive via a central transfer case.
• The Scout has been out of production for over 40 years, however they remain as popular as ever, and pricing on them only seems to go up over time.

The International Harvester Scout II

The International Harvester Scout II was released in 1971 as the final major iteration of the Scout, after the original Scout 80 and the subsequent Scout 800. By the 1970s the sales competition for four-wheel drive leisure vehicles was white hot, a vastly different landscape to the early 1960s when there were far fewer models for sale.

This rebuilt Scout II was extensively in the Iron & Resin x New Legend 4×4 Spring ’21 catalogue, it’s now for sale for $35,000 USD.

The Scout II remained popular right through the 1970s, the model arguably peaked in the late 1970s when a Scout SSII took victory in the 1977 Baja 1000 for 4×4 production vehicles with Jerry Boone at the wheel – he finished almost two hours ahead of his nearest competitor.

Boone’s feat was made all the more impressive by the fact that he’d only had a month to prepare a stock Scout SSII for the event.

In 1978 Sherman Balch would take a class victory in the Baja 1000 and the Mint 400. Balch’s successes would continue well into the 1980s, he was still taking victories in the Baja 250, the Baja 500, the Baja 1000, the Mint 400, and the Parker 400 in 1982.

Over the course of its 1971 to 1980 production run, the Scout II was offered with a broad selection of engine and transmission options. Engine choices started with the 196 cubic inch International Harvester inline-four and went all the way up to the 345 cubic inch International Harvester V8.

Transmission options varied between either a 3 or 4-speed manual transmission from Borg Warner or a 3-speed Chrysler A727 automatic.

When the Scout II left production in 1980 the model went though a period of relative obscurity when they were only really popular with vintage off-road enthusiasts. In recent years this has all changed, the Scout 80, Scout 800, and Scout II have become some of the most desirable classic four-wheel drives money can buy.

The New Legend x Iron & Resin Super Scout II

The Scout II you see here now now benefits from a careful rebuilt at the hands of New Legend, a world-leading International Scout restoration company based in Iowa.

Unlike classic restorations which seek to return a vehicle to the gleaming condition it was in when it left the production line all those years ago, this vehicle has had rebuild that respects its original hard-earned patina.

The original patina of the vehicle has been kept in place during the rebuild, to ensure that the Scout’s character remains intact.

Once a suitable Scout II had been found it was given a rebuild and servicing by the experienced hands at New Legend. They fitted a freshly tuned 345 cubic inch V8 and mated it to a crisp, low-mileage T-19 4-speed manual transmission.A serviced Dana 20 transfer case was installed and fitted with new U-joints for years of trouble free operation.

The radiator was then rebuilt and given new hoses and a new fan clutch was bolted into place. New ball-joints and wheel bearings were fitted to the freshly serviced front axle, and the rear axles was rebuilt with a Detroit Trutrac limited slip differential and new brakes.

The steering box was then rebuilt with new heavy duty tie rods and drag links completing the steering system. A new 30 gallon fuel tank was bolted in with a new sender and filler neck to ensure the new owner will have plenty of gasoline onboard for weekends in the wilderness.

The final major change to the running gear was the installation of a premium Deaver suspension kit, notably improving the handling over the original suspension that was now well over 40 years old.

The exterior of the Scout now benefits from the addition of a custom hard top dome with waxed canvas removable soft sides and rear panels. A 5-point roll cage has been added for safety, and it works in conjunction with an FSR roof top tent, which can be included for an additional $2,500 USD.

OEM SSII door inserts and mirrors were sourced and installed and the vehicle is riding on original Scout 15″ white Rallye wheels with 33×10.5×15 BFG tires on all four corners.

Inside the Scout you’ll find a custom buffalo and waxed canvas interior co-desinged by New Legend and Iron & Resin. The front seats are original mid-back Scout II seats that have been reupholstered and the carpets have been removed to ensure that the interior is easy to clean.

The completed Scout was used extensively in the INR x New Legend 4×4 Spring ’21 catalogue and it’s now for sale for $35,000 USD. If you’d like to read more about it or enquire about buying it you can click here to visit the Iron & Resin contact page.

Images courtesy of Iron & Resin

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Free Guide: A 1970s-Era Motorcycle Safety Training Film

This is a 1970s-era motorcycle safety film that’s narrated in English but appears to have been filmed in Germany and Northern Italy. The primary rider throughout the film is on a BMW R90S and this model was released in 1976 so it’s clear that the film was either made in this year or one soon after.

Beside the fantastic-looking R90S the film includes a slew of cars in the background that many of us would swap a kidney for nowadays, there are a number of BMW 2002s, a Porsche 911, a Porsche 914, a number of Citroen 2CVs, Beetles, a Capri, and quite a few more classics from the era.

The film itself contains a broad range of excellent information on safe riding techniques for both city and country roads, as well as highways and mountain passes. Things that often aren’t covered when you first get your license, like where to position your bike in the lane when cornering, how to safely pass in traffic, and how to manage your throttle, brakes, and gears while cornering.

One of the tips in the film that you may want to avoid following is the advice to ride down the outside of the lane past cars when in stationary traffic. This is now generally illegal in many countries, though laws regarding lane splitting (that is, riding down the middle between two lanes of slow moving or stationary cars) is legal in many regions and some US states.

It’s best to check your local laws before trying it as it’s typically far cheaper than a ticket.

If you’re listening to the theme music playing in the background and wracking your brain to figure out where you know it from, it’s the theme from the hit 1970s TV series The Rockford Files starring James Garner.

As it happens we recently featured the Pontiac Firebird he drove for the final three seasons from 1978 until 1980, click here if you’d like to see it.

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johnnyblaze64:
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itsbrucemclaren:speedxtreme: 1970 Buick GSX in Saturn Yellow Should Really Light Your...
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This Is The Pontiac Firebird From “The Rockford Files”

This is the 1978 Pontiac Firebird that was used on the television series The Rockford Files from 1978 until 1980. The show starred James Garner as Los Angeles–based private investigator Jim Rockford, a down on his luck character who lived in a rundown mobile home in a parking lot in Malibu.

The Rockford Files contained a number of interesting characters but the most famous, barring Garner himself of course, is almost certainly the car you see here – a gold Pontiac Firebird that typically featured heavily in each episode.

Fast Facts – The Rockford Files And The Firebird

• The Rockford Files was a private detective TV show that was on the air from 1974 until 1980 starring James Garner.
• As with many police and detective shows, the series made use of an instantly recognizable automobile that became a central character in its own right.
• The Rockford Files proved wildly popular throughout its television run, accumulating 123 episodes as well as eight made-for-TV movies.
• The car you see here was used in the series from 1978 until the show ended in 1980, reportedly because James Garner didn’t like the look of the new Firebird front end, insisting on keeping this one.

The Story Of The Last Rockford Files Pontiac Firebird

When it originally rolled off the production line no one knew this car would go on to become a television star in its own right.

The car was painted in Glacier Blue rather than gold and once it was acquired by Cinema Vehicle Services it needed a full repaint in its current color plus a new flat hood was fitted and the rear wing was deleted to match the previous Firebirds used by Garner in the series.

The car has been preserved just as it was when James Garner drove it in the TV series.

When it was built the car was equipped with a 350 cubic inch V8 and a 3-speed automatic transmission, it would keep this powertrain throughout its time on the TV series to the modern day.

In 1979 the Firebird was given a new front end, it’s remained controversial to the current day with some loving it and some hating it. James Garner wasn’t a fan and as a result this car was kept and used on the show for three years from 1978, though 1979, to the final season in 1980.

The importance of the car to the plot of The Rockford Files is hard to overstate, the car featured significantly in every episode and Garner famously liked to do his own stunts – the most famous of which was the famous “Jim Rockford turn-around.”

This was essentially what we would now call a J-turn or a “moonshiner’s turn,” Garner describes it in his own words below in his book The Garner Files:

“When you are going straight in reverse about 35 miles an hour, you come off the gas pedal, go hard left, and pull on the emergency brake. That locks the wheels and throws the front end around. Then you release everything, hit the gas, and off you go in the opposite direction.” – James Garner

Buying The Rockford Files Car

In 2015 at the Kissimmee Auction held by Mecum in January this car came up for public sale, the price estimate was $30,000 to $50,000 USD and it was seen by an Australian man named Cam who just happened to be looking for a Rockford Files clone.

Cam has long been a fan of the show and of James Garner’s other work, so when he realized he had a chance to buy an actual screen-used Firebird from the show he jumped at the chance. Once the dust settled from the bidding war he was the new owner, and arrangements were made to ship the car to Sydney in New South Wales.

Since it arrived in Australia great attention has been paid to keeping the car as original as possible while carefully preserving it. The original drivetrain was removed and rebuilt, at this point it was discovered that the heads were cracked so new heads were sourced and a mild cam was fitted.

In 2020 it became clear that the now 42 year old paintwork was going to need attention if the car was to stay rust free. Cam took the car to Unique Customs in Brookvale, Sydney and they worked on a plan to perfectly color match the paint. After a thorough inspection the car was found to be almost entirely rust free save for a small patch under the trunk.

The outer body was almost all taken back to bare metal, it was then repainted with carefully matched gold paint before a protective clear coat was applied. The biggest enemy of cars of this era tends to be rust, and one of the best defenses against this is a modern primer, paint, clear coat combination.

In 2016 Cam was in LA, he was able to meet up with James Garner’s daughter Gigi Garner, who has done a lot of work to keep her father’s memory alive. She gave Cam an original Rockford Files jacket worn by Garner as well as a shirt, t-shirt, a sweater to go with the car.

Cam now runs a Facebook Page and an Instagram account dedicated to the Firebird and its history, if you’d like to follow along with his adventures in the car you can click the links below.

Follow The Original Rockford Files Firebird – Facebook – Instagram

Images copyright 2021© – Andrew Jones – Machines That Dream

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