Rover Light Armoured Car

The Light Armoured Car Rover was built on either of two Ford 3ton CMP truck chassis. The 1941 F60L chassis of 158.25 inch wheel base, or the 1942 F60S chassis of 134.25 inch wheel base with a Australian designed and built armoured body. A total of 238 Rover Armoured Cars were eventually built, of these 198 were of the shorter wheel base. The Commonwealth registration for these vehicles started at 77501. The difference in wheel base made for the long wheel base vehicles to be known as Rover Mk 1 and the short wheel base vehicles as Rover Mk 2.

The Rover was designed as an emergency measure in 1941. Ruskin Motor Bodies Pty Ltd, of Melbourne built the experimental body of the first Rover. Series production began during February 1942 and first production models started in March 1942. In April 1942 the short wheel base Rover was started and shortly after the production of the long wheel base Rover was terminated.

By 28 February 1943, 217 Rover Light Armoured Cars were delivered to the Army. These consisted of 40 Mk-1 vehicles and 177 Mk-2 vehicles. The Rover entered service with the Australian army in April 1942. The 2/2 Brigade reconnaissance squadron of the 1st Armoured Division was one of the first units to Receive the Rover in April 1942.
Other units to be equipped with the Rover were:

• 2/11 Armoured Car Regiment
• 6th Armoured Car Regiment
• 12th Armoured Car Regiment

By late 1943 the first of the first of the  Staghound Armoured Cars started to arrive in Australia and the Rover was soon after declared obsolete.

Digger History:  an unofficial history of the Australian & New Zealand Armed Forces