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    Crossley FWD, 4 x 4, 12V (Front view, left side)  
 

Front view, right side

Picture courtesy of John Frandsen, Noerresundby (via Brian Brodersen)

 

Danish Army Specific: Few vehicles (probably around 10) delivered for use as crash tender by the Army Air Corps.
Historical: In 1935 a new War Office specification was issued for a medium 3 ton 4 x 4 truck to replace the 6 x 4 IGL type and in 1938 an order for a prototype was placed. This vehicle was of an advanced design with independent suspension, the new 38/110 bus engine and a 5 speed gearbox. It performed well but in the end because of pressures to get production underway and ease of repair the War Office requested a simpler vehicle.
The final design, known as the FWD or Four Wheel Drive, had an 11 foot wheelbase and used a conventional suspension, the drive train of the 2 axle IGL and the proven 30/70 engine. The name often used for these, the Quad or "Q" type, is not strictly correct as "Q" was the specification title used by the War Office and so could be applied to vehicles from several manufacturers of differing designs.
Just after the outbreak of war in 1939 production of the FWD started in earnest with initial orders for 506 trucks and 228 crash tenders, and a further 700 vehicles after the British Expeditionary Force lost most of its equipment in the 1940 retreat to Dunkirk. First deliveries took place in July 1940 and nearly 800 were delivered by the end of the year along with 340 IGL's.
In 1943 a tractor variant entered production and a more powerful 96 bhp (later 100 bhp) engine, the 30/100, available as an option. Three variants in all were produced known as Types 1, 2 and 3 with differences in transmissions and engines.
Between 1939 and 1945 7406 trucks and 2836 tractors left the factory, deliveries peaking at 200 a month. The cabs were mainly built by Crossley but Mulliners produced more than 2800. Bodies were built by many makers including Park Royal and English Electric and included wireless vehicles, breakdown trucks, mobile cranes, crash tenders, mobile generators and command posts. They were famously used with a "Queen Mary" trailer by the RAF for aircraft transport and recovery. The FWD was Crossley Motors largest ever production run exceeding even the World War 1 RFC, given the conditions and the cramped factories a remarkable performance.
Length: N/A.
Width: N/A.
Height: N/A.
Weight: N/A.
Engine
: Own 4-cylinder, 5.266 cm3 (321 cubic inches) displacement, liquid cooled.
Horsepower: 90 at 2.500 rpm.
Transmission: 4-speed.
Transfer case: 2-speed.
Electrical system: 12 volt.
Brakes: Hydraulic with servo assistance.
Tyres: 10.50 - 20.
Fuel type: Petrol.
Fuel capacity: 123 liters (27 gallons).
Range: N/A.
Crew: N/A.
Additional: The vehicle carried 1350 liters (300 gallons) of water and 110 liters (25 gallons) of foam-liquid.


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