Universal Scout Car (Canadian)

[Petrus]

Reportedly there was a project in Canada during WW2 referred to as the "Universal Scout Car" or "General Utility Project", which was to replace both the Scout Cars and the Light Recce Cars of the Canadian army.

The project is being mentioned here:
http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhh-dhp/his/rep-rap/doc/cmhq/CMHQ113.pdf
(scroll down up to paragraph no. 82)

Do you have any further information on the project?

I would be really grateful for any input.

Best regards,
Piotr

 

[Stranger_NN]

http://strangernn.livejournal.com/210273.html - in russian

 

[Petrus]

http://strangernn.livejournal.com/210273.html - in russian

Do you think the Tracked Jeep might have been the Universal Scout Car? Frankly, I don't.

The Canadian army's document from January 1944 explicitly mentions the Universal Scout Car under a "Wheeled Armoured Fighting Vehicles" suggesting that the vehicle in question was (to be) armoured as well as rather wheeled than tracked one.
And a book "Secret Weapons of the Canadian Army", whose table of content you may find at http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/showthread.php?t=7053 apparently has separate entries for the Universal Scout Car (in a "Combat Vehicles" chapter) and the Jeep, Tracked, Canadian ("Tracked Vehicles").

So all of it make me still believe that the Tracked Jeep and the vehicle I seek information about are quite different things.

Btw does anybody have the book I've mentioned?

Best regards,
Piotr

 

[Apophenia]

A decade's worth of thread necromancy ...

I believe that Canada's Universal Scout Car/General Utility Project sprang from the Army Engineering Design Branch. Two mild steel prototypes were built for testing. One prototype was powered by a Mercury Meteor V-8 - essentially the same engine as the 239 cid Ford 'flathead' V-8 in the Lynx. The second Universal Scout Car prototype was fitted with a 251 cid Chrysler 'long-block' 6-cylinder provided by Dodge.

From the side, the Universal Scout Car looked very much like Ford's Lynx Scout Car (or, indeed, that vehicle's base Daimler Dingo). An open-topped turret offset to starboard was to mount a 20 mm cannon (presumably an Inglis Polsten). The location of that turret pushed the driver's position closer to the centreline.

Attached images originated with Don Dingwall but both have been retouched.

 

[riggerrob]

“Secret Weapons of the Canadian Army” covers the Universal Scout Car and Tracked Jeep in two separate chapters because they are two completely different vehicles. Neither entered production.

 

[Apophenia]

On the development of the Tracked Jeep: https://milart.blog/2014/08/16/canadian-tracked-jeep-willys/