AEC armoured car

The AEC armoured car was a British heavy armoured car built by the Associated Equipment Company during the Second World War. It grew out of experience in the Western Desert, where British armoured cars carrying only machine guns were outgunned and the army had to fit captured autocannon. AEC developed it privately on the chassis of its Matador artillery tractor, and a mock-up shown at Horse Guards Parade in 1941 impressed Winston Churchill. Production followed in 1942 and 1943 and totalled 629 vehicles. The Mark I used the turret of a Valentine tank with a 2 pounder gun, the Mark II took a larger turret with a 6 pounder and a diesel engine of 118 kW, and the Mark III close support version mounted a 75 mm gun. Mark I cars first saw combat in North Africa late in 1942, and the later marks fought in Europe until the Alvis Saladin replaced them.