Ford Mk V Armoured Car
The Ford Mk V Armoured Cars were built in Ireland[2] by Thompson & Son of Hanover Works, Carlow.[1]
Ford Mk V Armoured Car | |
---|---|
Type | Armored car |
Place of origin | Ireland |
Production history | |
Designed | 1940 |
Manufacturer | Thompson & Son, Carlow |
Produced | 1940 |
No. built | 14 |
Specifications | |
Length | 14 ft 8 inches |
Width | 6 ft 7 inches |
Height | 8 ft 3 inches |
Crew | 3 |
Armor | .5 inch |
Main armament | Hotchkiss .303 machine gun |
Engine | 3,621cc Ford V8 petrol 85bhp[1] |
Specifications
The Ford Mk V was built with .5 inch mild steel plate, onto a Ford chassis of 122 inches.[3] Fitted with an 85 horsepower petrol Ford V8 3,621 cc engine,[3] the Mark V was much smaller, cheaper to build and had better performance than its predosesor the GSR Ford Mk IV.
Empty of all unessential equipment the Mark V weighed just over five tons, with a max speed of 45 km per hour (28 MPH) and a range of 150 km (93 miles).[3] After the prototype was built, inspected and passed, the remaining 13 Ford Mk Vs were built and sold by 1954.
Fourteen were built in total with Peerless armoured car turrets and Hotchkiss .303 machine guns fitted. The vehicles were designed by Maj. J. V. Lawless and Comdt. A. W. Mayne, using ideas taken from the Rolls-Royce Armoured Car as well as from the Leyland Armoured Car.
References
- "Thompson Engineering,". www.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
- "Irish Armoured Cars 1930-1960s". www.juniorgeneral.org. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
- "Ford Mk V Armoured Car". www.geocities.ws. Retrieved 30 September 2012.