Hunting Aircraft Ltd. Harrier of 1958

[jcf]

Developed by the Special Weapons Division.
650cc BSA Type A10 twin, rear-mounted, 4-speed gearbox, combination chain and shaft drive to rear-wheels.
16" diameter tires.
Max Speed: 50 mph
L: 8' 9"
W: 1' 8"
H: 2' 4"
W: 6 1/4 cwt
(Quoted dimensions are folded, for unfolded see 3-view)








Developed version with larger wheels and mudguards, performance was not as good as original.

[PR19_Kit]

Remarkably similar in size to the Moke a few years later, but the Moke didn't fold up.

With swing axles front and rear the handling could have been 'interesting', to say the least.....

[zenrat]

Interesting.
I can't help thinking the engine is going to be overworked.

[McColm]

Looks like something out of the TV series 'Scrap heap Challenge'.

[NARSES2]

Apart from the engine that looks a lot like some of the soapbox's me and my mates built back in the day. Some of the lads had to wear very similar berets as well 

I like the guy on the right hand back seat, trying very, very hard to look nonchalant....and failing 

Fascinating find Jon 

[Rheged]

With tiny wheels and low ground clearance, the cross country capabilities will be somewhat limited.

[PR19_Kit]

With tiny wheels and low ground clearance, the cross country capabilities will be somewhat limited.

The same reason the British Army rejected the Moke, but I think the Australian Army bought some. One of us here knows that as I've seen it mentioned.

[jcf]

With tiny wheels and low ground clearance, the cross country capabilities will be somewhat limited.

The four trying to look 'soldierly' are actually the design team. According to the source from which the
illustrations are taken, Percival & Hunting Aircraft, John Silvester, R.J. Sylvester 1987, it did quite
well off-road, the flat bottom acting like a sled and simply sliding over most obstacles. The secret was
to keep the speed up, and the author relates that leaving a paved road at speed and heading off
across a rubbish tip was a hair-raising experience. He also states that banging along at 50mph a
few inches off the ground, with no seat-belts and the engine bellowing in your ear made the speed
"seem more like 150mph."
Going from folded to ready to run took less than a minute.

[PR19_Kit]

He also states that banging along at 50mph a few inches off the ground, with no seat-belts and the engine bellowing in your ear made the speed "seem more like 150mph."

Going from folded to ready to run took less than a minute.

Yeah, just like a Moke, great fun.  But anything taller than 6" would stop the fun rather quickly.

Unfolding in less than a minute is SERIOUSLY impressive!

[loupgarou]

Belgian paratroops had something similar in 1960. But with SERIOUS fat tyres. 
IIRC, they used it also in Congo.

[rickshaw]

With tiny wheels and low ground clearance, the cross country capabilities will be somewhat limited.

The same reason the British Army rejected the Moke, but I think the Australian Army bought some. One of us here knows that as I've seen it mentioned.

The Australian Army bought hundreds of Mokes.  I used to drive one.  Only Army vehicle that could be literally lifted out of trouble if it encountered it, by the driver and passengers!   We also bought for trials several two engined, four-wheeled drive Mokes.   I've seen pictures of them on trials, with linked gear shift levers, one for each engine.

[NARSES2]

He also states that banging along at 50mph a
few inches off the ground, with no seat-belts and the engine bellowing in your ear made the speed
"seem more like 150mph."

Going from folded to ready to run took less than a minute.

Absolutely, must have been brilliant. At least after you'd calmed down in the pub afterwards 

Less then a minute ? It sometimes takes me longer to open one of those stupid plastic bags the supermarkets provide to put your fresh produce in  Would have made a nice Generation Game style programme challenge 

[Rheged]

With tiny wheels and low ground clearance, the cross country capabilities will be somewhat limited.

The same reason the British Army rejected the Moke, but I think the Australian Army bought some. One of us here knows that as I've seen it mentioned.

The Australian Army bought hundreds of Mokes.  I used to drive one.  Only Army vehicle that could be literally lifted out of trouble if it encountered it, by the driver and passengers!   We also bought for trials several two engined, four-wheeled drive Mokes.   I've seen pictures of them on trials, with linked gear shift levers, one for each engine.

I have a vague memory (or so says Madame R)......in this case of a case where someone managed to get the gear linkages wrong and thus  one engine went forward and one back.   Maybe Kit knows of this?

[PR19_Kit]

With tiny wheels and low ground clearance, the cross country capabilities will be somewhat limited.

The same reason the British Army rejected the Moke, but I think the Australian Army bought some. One of us here knows that as I've seen it mentioned.

The Australian Army bought hundreds of Mokes.  I used to drive one.  Only Army vehicle that could be literally lifted out of trouble if it encountered it, by the driver and passengers!   We also bought for trials several two engined, four-wheeled drive Mokes.   I've seen pictures of them on trials, with linked gear shift levers, one for each engine.

I have a vague memory (or so says Madame R)......in this case of a case where someone managed to get the gear linkages wrong and thus  one engine went forward and one back.   Maybe Kit knows of this?

That would have been me, yes. We had an early Twini Moke at Pressed Steel and that had two gear levers which WEREN'T connected so you could have both ends in different gears.............

Like first on the front engine and reverse for the rear one! 

I did this numerous times with ours, just for fun, resulting in the parking area being covered in tyre smoke clouds and some very thin tyres. 

Later on BMC linked the levers, and even later had only one lever for both gearboxes, but the best result was a manual gear box for the front and an automatic box for the rear engine, then you just needed to select forward, neutral or reverse for the rear engine.