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Austin 3rd (Improved)/4th Series Armored Car

Specifications

Country of Origin/Used by:	Great Britain
First Produced/Service Dates:	1917 or 1918
Manufactured by:	Austin Motor Company
Crew:	5
Armament:	(2) Turrets: Each Fitted with (1) Vickers .303 Machine Gun OR (1) Hotchkiss .303 MG
Engine:	4 Cylinder Gasoline (50 hp)
Miscellaneous Info:	The last, and probably most familiar vehicle in the Austin line up, the Austin 3rd Series (Improved)/4th Series Armored Car, yet again closely followed upon it's immediate precursor, the Austin 3rd Series car. And like all its predecessors, including the "older" Austin 1st Series, and Austin 2nd Series Armored Cars, it too was built for use by Russian forces.  However, due to the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, most sources state that none of the 4th Series vehicles were used by the Russians*.  The approximately 70 completed and subsequently built cars were acquired by the British Army and used fairly successfully by them, most notably by the 17th Battalion Tank Corps in 1918. The 4th Series cars are fairly similar to the 3rd Series vehicles, except for a very significant change, the fitting of a strengthened suspension, which included dual rear wheels.  The new suspension would aid the cars in improving their mobility, although never to a point of them being considered especially agile.  In addition, some cars used in the later stage of the war/post-war were mounted with solid disc wheels. Finally, the 4th Series vehicles were also armed with British weapons instead of the Maxim machine guns favored by the Russians.  Sources state that both .303 Vickers and .303 Hotchkiss machine guns were mounted at various times. * See the photo below of the 4th Series Austin used by White Russian forces.
Data Sheet Available:	None Available

Photos

Reference	Source/Provider
Austin 3rd (Improved)/4th Series Armored Car Photo	Imperial War Museum
Austin 3rd (Improved)/4th Series Armored Car Photo	National Library of Ireland
Austin 3rd (Improved)/4th Series Armored Car Photos	(UK) National Science & Media Museum
Austin 3rd (Improved)/4th Series Armored Car Photo (With Disc Wheels)	Imperial War Museum
Austin 3rd (Improved)/4th Series Armored Car Photo (White Russian)	Collected by Dave Haugh - Content Editor

References Available

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