An alloy-bodied, four-wheel-drive car propelled by a Porsche air-cooled engine, built from refined materials such as magnesium in an effort to save weight: it puts you in mind of a racing car, created to thunder along the Mulsanne straight. But in this case you'd be quite wrong. Welcome to the incredible - and very little known - world of the AMC Mighty Mite, an ultra-light quarter-ton 4x4 tactical off-roader, created specifically for the US Marine Corps for transport by helicopter.
Helicopters were a rare sight during World War Two; the American Sikorsky R-4, launched in 1942, was the first to be manufactured in series. In 1946, Marine Corps chiefs asked for a matching vehicle to be created for their troops, small and light enough to be lifted and transported by its Sikorsky H-19 aircraft, which had a 1202kg cargo limit, including crew and fuel. Those early helicopters had a limited carrying capacity and the ubiquitous Jeep was too heavy, hence the demand for a lightweight alternative.
The first prototype was built in the mid-1950s by the Mid-American Research Corporation to fulfill the Marines' brief for a 'vertical envelopment operations vehicle. Called the MARCO MM-100, it was equipped with a riveted alloy body, independent suspension, limited-slip differentials, inboard drum brakes and a Porsche 356-derived air-cooled flat-four, the exhaust gases of which passed through chassis tubes to save the weight of an exhaust pipe.
Bu hikaye Octane dergisinin August 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye Octane dergisinin August 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Will China Change Everything? - China is tearing up modern motor manufacture but is yet to make more than a ripple in the classic car world. That could be about to change dramatically
China now dominates the automotive world in a way even Detroit in its heyday would have struggled to comprehend.Helped by Government incentives, the new car world is dominated by China's industries: whether full cars that undercut Western models by huge amounts, ownership of storied European brands such as Lotus and Volvo, or ownership and access to the vast majority of raw materials that go into EV cars, its influence is far-reaching and deep. However, this automotive enlightenment hasn't manifested itself in the classic world in any meaningful way - until now.
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