1976 Land Rover 101 GS

The Land Rover 101 forward control was developed by the British military to meet their needs for a ‘gun tractor’.  It was designed to tow the L118 Light Gun with a capacity of one tonne for supplies and ammunition.  The vehicle was designed for simplicity in all respects.  It was easily repaired in the field, had minimal components, was easily transported by air, and best of all it could be air dropped with a parachute attached from the 4 main anchors that were factory installed.

The name of the vehicle came from the 101” wheelbase and the position fo the driver (forward control…over the front axle).  

After 3 years of prototypes, it was sent for approval in 1972.   Over the next few years, it was mass produced from 1975-1978.  Approximately 2700 vehicles were produced.  The majority of vehicles were GS models (General Service) and are canvas soft-tops.  Three types of hard body 101's were also produced on stripped GS chassises.  These included the Ambulance (Approx. 300-450), a Radio Body (Approx. 125), and the ‘Vampire’ Radio Body (Approx. 9-18). 

Technical Specifications:

Electric system: 12 Volt negative earth

Engine:

LPG/Petrol V8

Number of Cylinders: 8

Cylinder capacity: 3528 cc

Bore: 88.90 mm

Stroke: 71.12 mm

Max torque at clutch: 261.9 nm

Net power/gross wt ratio: 38.8 kW/tonne (52 bhp/ton)

Fuel Pump: Electric, in tank

Carburetors: Two Zenith 175 CD 2S

Range of action, road: 545 km (340 miles)

Fuel consumption target road: 20 litres/100 km (14.2 mpg)

Max tractive effort top gear: 1002 n/tonne (229 lb/ton)

Wheel type: Steel, well base

Road Springs: Semi-elliptic taper leaf

Hydraulic dampers: Telescopic, non-adjustable

Dimensions

Overall height: 2500mm

Overall length: 4330mm

Overall width: 2350mm

Ground Clearance: 254mm

Tyre Size: 315/75R16

Tyre Pressure Front: 28 lb/sq in

Tyre Pressure Rear: 35 lb/sq in

Weights - Unladen: 1924kg

Weights - Laden:  3651kg

Transmission: 4 speed manual

Front Differential: Hypoid Bevel, Salisbury 8HS

Front Wheel Drive: Enclosed constant velocity joints

Rear Differential: Fully-floating shafts

Wheelbase: 2565mm (101")

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