Austin Ant

The Austin Ant (development code ADO19)[1] is a small four-wheel drive vehicle that was designed by Sir Alec Issigonis for the motor manufacturer Austin. Although the Ant is widely regarded as a military vehicle, some sources suggest it was conceived with civilian use in mind as well.[2] In its military role, it was a potential successor to the military version of an earlier Issigonis design, the Mini Moke.

Austin Ant aka ADO19

The Ant was cancelled in 1968 before full-scale production began, during the period when BMC became part of the British Leyland (BL) conglomerate; the merger caused several overlaps in model ranges, and the Ant was regarded as too close a competitor for the Land Rover range.[3]

The Ant used an A-Series engine, transverse mounted and tilted slightly backward to allow greater ground clearance and suspension movement. The main gearbox was placed in the engine sump, as on the Mini. A reduction gearbox took power from the main gearbox to the rear axle via a propshaft. The same layout was used 30 years later (with a K-Series engine) on the Rover Group's Land Rover Freelander.

References
  1. "ADO and other development codes". AROnline. 25 June 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  2. Article "Ant Hill Mob" in Classic and Sports Car magazine, March 2007, published by Haymarket Publishing Ltd., United Kingdom
  3. The unofficial Austin-Rover web resource; Austin Drawing Office numbers Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine

See also


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