Technical Details
History
Australian Service History
New Zealand Service History
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Nomenclature: Daimler Scout Car Mark 2.
Maker: Transport Vehicles (Daimler) Ltd, Daimler Works Coventry.
Year of Manufacture: 1942.
Country of Origin: United Kingdom.
Engine: Daimler Petrol, 6 cylinder in-line OHV 55 bhp.
Armour: Two piece sliding over fighting compartment.
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The Daimler Scout Car was a pre-war British design, one of three such suggestions which were accepted for competitive trials by the War Office in 1938. The BSA-Daimier design was accepted and entered service with the British Army in 1939. Although popularly known as the 'Dingo', the name actually relates to an Alvis design which was not successful, however the name was kept. The type was used by the British and some other Commonwealth countries throughout World War Two and remained in service until the 1950s when it was replaced by the Daimler Ferret Scout Car. The type was evidently used by British troops serving in the Middle East.
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The Australian Government did not actually purchase any of these vehicles for use by the Australian Defence Forces. They were, however, used by Australian Divisional Cavalry Regiments in North Africa and Palestine during World War II. A vehicle of similar design was manufactured in Canada and the USA, this vehicle, known as the "Lynx" saw service in the Australian Army during the 1940s and 1950s.
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The service history of this item is unknown, but appears to have been refurbished by R. Hopkins in New Zealand. It is therefore likely that this is one of the eighty four Daimler Scout Cars, Mark 2, operated by the New Zealand armoured Corps between 1943 and 1962.
