GMC ACK 353

The GMC ACK 353 is an off road truck built by GMC at the start of the Second World War and used by the French Army and the British Army from 1940. The designation stands for the year 1939 (A), the conventional cab (C) and all wheel drive (K). It was designed in competition with the Dodge and Fargo T-203 and VF-400 series to meet a United States Army demand for a cargo truck. It used GMC's new 1939 248 engine, an overhead valve inline six of 4,070 cc giving 57 kW, with a four speed manual gearbox and a two speed transfer case engaging the front axle off road, a wheelbase of 4.01 m, a length of 6.50 m and special front hubs for dual wheels. France ordered 2,000, assembled at the General Motors plant at Gennevilliers, and on 1 June 1940 ordered 3,000 more ACK 353 and Dodge T 203 trucks, all of which ended up with the British Army after the armistice. The armoured car CDM used its chassis.