World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseThe Daimler Scout Cars, also known as Dingo scout cars, were designed by the British firm Birmingham Small Arms Company after winning the 1938 British War Office requirement for a scouting vehicle. The design was then passed over to Daimler Motor Company under the BSA umbrella for production. They were rear-engined and very agile, which was partially attributed to the innovative bi-directional five-speed transmissions. The original design called for four-wheel steering, which gave it greater maneuverability, but this feature was removed starting in Mark II because many drivers could not get used to it. The tires used were nearly solid, thus there was little danger of getting flat tires during combat. They were first used by the 1st Armored Division and 4th Northumberland Fusiliers of the British Expeditionary Force during the invasion of France, and proved to be extremely effective. After the war, they remained in service in several countries as the primary reconnaissance vehicles. The United Kingdom finally phased them out of service in 1952 with the arrival of the Daimler Ferret armored cars. Cyprus, Portugal, and Sri Lanka continued to use them well into the 1970s.

ww2dbaseProduction of Daimler Scout Cars began in 1939 and ended in 1945. 6,626 examples were built.

ww2dbaseThe Daimler Armored Cars were a related development; they were essentially Daimler Scout Cars with turrets.

SPECIFICATIONS

Daimler Scout Car

Machinery	One Daimler 2.5-liter 6-cylinder gasoline engine rated at 55hp
Suspension	Wheel, 4x4
Armament	1x7.92mm Bren light machine gun or 1x13.9mm Boys anti-tank rifle
Armor	30mm front
Crew	2
Length	3.20 m
Width	1.70 m
Height	1.50 m
Weight	3.0 t
Speed	88 km/h
Range	320 km

Photographs