Llama

Dating from the mid-1980s, the unsuccessful Llama project was an attempt to provide a more modern and ‘civilised’ vehicle to replace the forward-control 101.

Left: The need for a command car was raised head again in the late 1980s when the Series III based Carawagon vereion was purchased. fS7}

Below: The forward control prototype was constructed for military assessment in 1965 but nothing came of the project. (PW)

The first prototypes appeared in the period 1985 to 1986. Bearing little resemblance to any contemporary Land Rover, it vas a purposeful looking 2-tonne truck with a two-door glass-fibre composite tilt cab. Mechanical components were derived from the 110, with power provided by the Buick-derived V8 petrol engine driving what, by then, had become the standard Land Rover permanent all-wheel-drive transmission, consisting of a five-speed gearbox and two-speed transfer case with centre lockable differential. A power take-off was included to drive an under-floor winch. Heavy-duty Salisbury axles were used with coil-spring suspension.

Cargo, gun tractor and box van prototypes were produced. All were trialled at Chertsey and Farnborough, in some cases being tested directly against the 4x4 and 6x6 Stonefield vehicles. Nothing came of the project... or of the Stonefield for that matter!

Right: The standard civilian Series IIB fonvard-control vehicle was also tested at FVRDE in the mid-1960s.

This example has been fitted with an experimental Archimedes screw-type load/traction assistance equipment. (RA)

Centre and below:

The Llama project was an attempt to provide a more modem and 'civilised'vehicle to replace the forward-control 101. It was trialed against prototypes from Stonefield and Reynolds-Boughton. The vehicle did not enter production. (TM;

Left and below:

Land Rover’s Special Projects Department was adept at producing one-off vehicles for specific purpose and, where a 6x6 chassis was called for, examples were available from both Hotspur and SMC Engineering of Bristol. Little is known of the HiAB-equipped machine but it was clearly trialled for possible military use. (BM)