This futuristic looking vehicle is actually now quite old. This particular example was used by a police patrol unit in Salisbury, South Rhodesia (now called Harare in Zimbabwe) during the Civil War leading up to independence in 1980.
The vehicle was designed to protect the inhabitants from landmines and small arms fire. Note the ‘V’ shaped hull designed to deflect explosions from mines (a feature only recently adopted in vehicles used by the British army in Afghanistan). The wheels would also have been blown off rather than absorb the blast.
Spec:
Volkswagen 4 cylinder 1584cc petrol engine and suspension.
Weighs 1980 kg (2.2 tons) and could carry 5 passengers and a driver.
The vehicle was designed to protect the inhabitants from landmines and small arms fire. Note the ‘V’ shaped hull designed to deflect explosions from mines (a feature only recently adopted in vehicles used by the British army in Afghanistan). The wheels would also have been blown off rather than absorb the blast.
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| Leopard Mark IV |
Volkswagen 4 cylinder 1584cc petrol engine and suspension.
Weighs 1980 kg (2.2 tons) and could carry 5 passengers and a driver.
Almost certain same vehicle we used on Police Reserve patrols in the Northern Suburbs 1983/1984. Its call sign was X-Ray, November.
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