Leyland Hippo
The Leyland Hippo was a 6x4 heavy general service cargo truck manufactured by Leyland Motors. Introduced in 1929, it remained in production for 40 years.
Leyland Hippo | |
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1935 Leyland Hippo | |
Overview | |
Manufacturer | Leyland Motors |
Model years | 1929 - circa 1969 |
Layout | 6x4 |
Powertrain | |
Engine | Six-cylinder inline Leyland L6 diesel |
Overview
The Leyland Hippo was a 6x4 heavy general service cargo truck introduced by Leyland Motors in 1929.[1] After a number of facelifts, it remained in production for 40 years.[2]
Military use
At the beginning of World War II the British Armed Forces took delivery of 330 militarised Leyland Hippos with an open military cabs and bodies, known in service as the Hippo Mk I or the WSW17. In 1943, as a result of D-Day preparations, Leyland commenced designing an updated version, the Hippo Mk II. Production commenced in 1944 and roughly 1,000 were in service by VE Day. They remained in British service into the 1970s.[3][4]
Gallery
- Preserved Shell Australia Leyland Hippo fuel tanker
- Militarised Leyland Hippo Mk I with open cab, 1939
- Preserved 1952 Leyland Hippo logging truck
- Preserved Leyland Hippo flatbed
References
- Commercial Motor, "A new 12-ton six-wheeler", published 15 October 1929, retrieved from archive.commercialmotor.com 20 November 2018.
- National Transport Museum of Ireland, "A rare heavy haulage Leyland Hippo", www.nationaltransportmuseum.org, retrieved 20 November 2018.
- Chris Bishop (ed), The encyclopedia of weapons of World War II, London: Metro Books, 1998, ISBN 1-58663-762-2.
- Pat Ware, A complete directory of military vehicles, Wigston: Anness Publishing Ltd, 2012.