The Land Rover 101 Ahead Management is an uncommon V8-powered four-wheel drive developed by the British automaker within the late Nineteen Sixties as a gun tractor for the British Ministry of Protection.
No 101 Ahead Controls have been ever provided by Land Rover to civilians, they have been strictly a military-only car when new. Within the years since many have been bought into civilian fingers as military surplus, and a few have been transformed into all-terrain campers.
Quick Information – The Land Rover 101 Ahead Management
- The Land Rover 101 Ahead Management has been described by some because the “British Unimog” and it’s not onerous to see why. Each automobiles have boxy designs with ahead cabs, massive wheels and tires, and ample payload capability.
- The 101 Ahead Management was developed from classes realized on the sooner Ahead Management IIA and IIB Land Rovers which hadn’t been notably profitable commercially.
- Named for its 101″ wheelbase, the 101 Ahead Management had a customized chassis fitted with Salisbury axles back and front. Energy was supplied by the all-alloy Rover V8 and the car had a payload capability of 1 tonne with a towing capability of as much as 4,000 lbs.
- The 101 FC you see right here has been given an overland camper conversion, it has a pop-top roof with a double mattress, an onboard battery financial institution, photo voltaic panels, an an onboard water tank, and even an HVAC system.
The Land Rover 101 Ahead Management
The Land Rover 101 Ahead Management was first introduced to the world on the 1972 Industrial Motor Present in England. It was to be the successor to the not notably profitable Ahead Management IIA and IIB Land Rovers of the Nineteen Sixties, and it was supposed 100% for army use solely.
Above Video: This episode of Tiresbaek TV facilities round a barn discover 101 Ahead Management that they revive and take off-roading, additionally they have a look again on the historical past of the mannequin.
Whereas the sooner Ahead Management IIA and IIB Land Rovers had suffered from points together with inadequate energy the brand new 101 Ahead Management had addressed lots of its forebears’ shortcomings.
Energy was now supplied by a 3.5 liter all-alloy Rover V8, the identical engine used within the still-new Ranger Rover and derived from the Buick 215 cubic inch V8 of the early Nineteen Sixties.
Given its compact dimensions and low weight, this engine supplied ample energy with little or no in the best way of a weight penalty, in truth it was truly lighter than a few of the all-iron 4 and 6 cylinder engines it changed.
An all-new metal ladder chassis was developed for the 101 Ahead Management, and a brand new physique was designed that took cues from the sooner FC designs, presumably with some extra affect from the Unimog.
The front-mounted V8 despatched energy again by means of a 4-speed guide transmission right into a two-speed switch case, and from there to the entrance and rear Salisbury dwell axles. As was commonplace for the period the suspension consisted of leaf springs fore and aft with drum brakes on all 4 wheels.
The 101 FC – Navy Use
Land Rover developed the 101 particularly as a gun tractor for the British Ministry of Protection, it was supposed to tow the L118 Mild Gun (a area gun) and carry its ammunition. It was additionally designed to be simply air transportable, following on from classes realized whereas growing the sooner “Air-Transportable” Land Rovers.
That is the Metropolis Cab from the 1995 Sylvester Stallone movie Decide Dredd. They have been designed by Land Rover and constructed on 101 Ahead Management chassis.
An issue was encountered on early prototypes: drivers had some issue moving into the cab as a consequence of its top. To resolve this a intelligent “wheel-step” was developed, it’s basically a round metal ring added to the skin of every entrance wheel, permitting drivers and passengers a conveniently-placed step to assist them rise up into the passenger compartment.
Though they have been initially designed for gun tractor duties later variations of the 101 FC have been developed as radio and command automobiles, Monitoring Radar Tractor (TRT) automobiles, battlefield ambulances, and maybe most apparently as cell British RAF Rapier missile techniques.
Manufacturing befell between 1972 and 1978, nearly all have been bought to the British armed forces nevertheless the Australian army additionally ordered a small variety of them. In whole there have been 2,669 manufactured, far fewer than their Sequence land Rover siblings, and lots of of them stay in working situation at the moment.
The Decide Dredd “Metropolis CABs”
Probably the most well-known 101 Ahead Controls have been highly-modified “Metropolis CABs” used within the 1995 Sylvester Stallone movie Decide Dredd. Curiously these automobiles have been truly designed in-house by Land Rover particularly for the movie, in such a approach that the 101 FC rolling chassis may very well be used.
This 101 FC is totally geared up as an off-grid camper, permitting its new proprietor to dwell nearly wherever they need.
Within the years since manufacturing ceased the 101 FC was slowly retired from army service, and lots of have been bought into civilian fingers as army surplus.
It will be in civilian possession that the automobiles would expertise a completely new life, usually being modified into off-road campers after which used to discover huge swathes of the planet.
The Land Rover 101 FC Overland Camper Proven Right here
The 101 FC you see right here is from 1977, the penultimate 12 months of manufacturing. This car was delivered new to the UK Ministry of Protection and was then later purchased by the present proprietor out of a non-public assortment in Poland.
Vital work has been finished to the truck by its present proprietor, the bulkhead, entrance bumper, and door hinges have all been galvanized and the entrance door tops, bottoms, and {hardware} have all been changed.
The visibility out of the cab is remarkably good, and a reversing digital camera has been fitted to make city parking rather less tough.
A customized aluminum camper cabin has been fitted with cautious consideration paid to make sure that it matches in properly with the general design of the 101. It’s then been completed in Dovas White and Bahama Gold with matching off-white 16” metal wheels fitted with 255/100 Michelin XZL tires.
4-wheel disc brakes have been put in by Ready Engineering of Leicester, England throughout the construct, and the 101 now rides on height-adjustable air suspension with tuned Bilstein shocks – it additionally has hydraulic energy steering, and a vacuum-operated locking heart differential.
Within the rear you’ll discover a pop-top camper with a double mattress, a financial institution of batteries, a roof-mounted photo voltaic panel system consisting of two 100W panels, C-Tek controllers and a battery administration system, with a Cotek 3.5kw inverter, and a Sergeant EC160 energy provide unit with a break up charger.
Should you’d wish to learn extra about this uncommon 101 FC or place a bid you may go to the itemizing right here on Carry A Trailer. It’s being provided on the market out of Cornwall in England.
Pictures courtesy of Carry A Trailer
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