Thornycroft Might Antar

The Mighty Antar 6x4 prime-mover is perhaps the most famous Thornycroft truck. It was used as a British Army tank transporter, and the Dinky model of it in this role was one of the most admired by small boys of the 1950s and 1960s, and even today.

The civilian Antar was developed in the late 1940s. The British Army adopted the Antar as a tank transporter in 1952 to replace the World War II vintage Diamond T and it was in turn replaced by the Scammell 'Commander' in 1986 -- Museum of Army Transport, Beverley. The Antar was used to tow Centurion (49 ton) and Chieftain tanks on trailers and semi-trailers - L. A11ison

Antar Mk 1B

Loa 26', width 10' 3", height 10'

Weight 43,240 lbs

Rolls Royce Meteorite Mk-204 V8 petrol engine, 285bhp at 2000rpm

Transmission 4-speed manual with 2-speed transfer box, 6x4

Speed 28mph

Three Mighty Antars came to Australia to move heavy generating components for the Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Authority (SMHEA) during the construction of the hydro-electric scheme. It was thought that all three were scrapped since then.

The later Mk3 Antar has a more rounded cab and is fitted with a Rolls-Royce supercharged diesel engine giving 333bhp at 2100rpm.