Had a quick skim through a Classic Car Mag at the newsagent. (March 2007 I think - has pics of Triumphs on the front) Interesting looking car - looks like a beefed up Moke. Also an article on two restored Radford Minis

I'll go back and buy it after payday

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David L


My greatest fear in life is that when I die my wife will sell my Mini and tools for the price I told her I paid for them!

ADO 19 Austin Ant was the development of the original 4WD Moke, and was designed by Issigonis and his team.

Two Ants came to Australia for testing. One was tested to destruction. The other still exists and is currently being restored. We will have a full feature on this incredible car, in The Mini Experience, when the restoration is finished. We had a brief mention and a photo of one being tested in the UK (plus a pic of the diff/transfer case) in Issue 6, as well as a pic and details of the 4WD Moke.

As near as I can tesll at this stage, only about 26 Ants were completed, and sent all over the world for evaluation. Mainly due to the rigours of the testing, few remain today. We know of the one in Oz, one at the Gaydon museum in the UK and two in South Africa. Possibly one in NZ, but unconfirmed.

Cheers,
Watto.

The Ant was supposed to be based on ADO16 bits (Morris 1100) The suspension and wheels look just like 1100. This would have given it the higher ground clearance that the 10" wheeled Moke didn't have. I think that the 13" wheel Aussie moke would have been a better proposition than the the Ant.
I had a look at the one in Gaydon but I didn't crawl all over it.

Looking at a picture you can see the wheels and blinkers from the 1100.
Austin Ant

It is quite possible that the Ant had a few 1100 bits - after all BMC were masters of raiding the parts bin - but the running gear is decidedly different. A-series engine, but a unique gearbox and transfer case. The engine is tilted on about 20 degrees angle. The tailshaft (being 4WD) passes inside the double-skin floor (would have been a mungrel to work on in the bush).

There appears to be plenty of room for bigger wheels, so perhaps the 12" were a stop-gap while the car was sorted.

The Ant was a fair way into pre-production, with so many cars being tested around the world, but was shelved, like the Austin Champ, when BMC took over Land Rover.

By the way, I saw an Austin Champ yesterday at Picnic at Hanging Rock, and I've always been impressed with them. Very capable, but much more complicated, mechanically, than the Land Rover, so not surprising they were canned.

Imagine if the Ant had gone into production, 20 years before the Suzuki LJ50. It probably would have failed when Leyland took over anyway, but the Japs are, or at least were, masters of producing good cars cheaply, and have no qualms about copying other people's design, so the LJ probably still would have been much the same success that it was.

Cheers,
Watto.

The big problem with BMC when Leyland took them over (apart from the fact that BMC was burning money at an alarming rate) was with the Austin Champ up against the Landrover and most of the BMC range up against the Rover and Triumph range there was no future for the existing BMC range. All the new upper management was all from Leyland/Triumph so all the BMC future product planning was soon shelved. Leyland then paid big dividends on shares when it needed the money to re-invest into new models.

I did my Military Service at the time the Army had Austin Champs. Took half a day to change the spark plugs. Any simple job no matter what it was required the water proof covering that completely encased the engine and gear box to be removed first - one cow of a job. Hundreds of little bolts holding all the "shells" together and sealing the joints.

But I do remember one time when two guys came up a waterway with just head and shoulders and the snorkle above water Then drove up the bank and down the road as though you do it every day

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David L


My greatest fear in life is that when I die my wife will sell my Mini and tools for the price I told her I paid for them!