Autobianchi/Lancia/OM CL-51

     Notes: This is a light truck of 1950s vintage, which remained in production until the early 1970s.  The vehicle is of cabover design, and the commander has an observation hatch (without a weapon mount) in the roof.  Though conceptually the three manufacturers’ CL-51s were the same, in practice there were many differences in details and product quality, with Lancia CL51s generally being considered the best of the CL-51s and OMs the worst. However, all of them suffered from being powered by a four-cylinder developing only 62.5 horsepower, and laboring to climb even moderate hills. The parking brakes were also known to slip regularly, and the manual transmissions were often balky. And alas, it was post-World-War-2 Italy, and the race to producing usable vehicles often trumped quality control.

Fresia F18 Mountain Power Truck

     Notes: This light vehicle is similar in concept to the LOHR Fardier and the old US Mechanical Mule.  It is basically a flat platform mounted over a powered frame.  The F18 is used by Italian mountain units, and is used to move light cargo or casualties.  The F18 can be steered from a rudimentary driving position or by an operator walking behind it.  Low guardrails surround the cargo area.  The entire vehicle is less than 2 meters long and a little over a meter wide. The Briggs and Straton two-cylinder engine is low-powered and small in size (suited to the platform) at 18 horsepower, but the suspension is 4x4 and the axles have automatic locking differentials.

     The original production F18s were seriously deficient in load-carrying capability and have an even lesser-power engine. This engine had four cylinders, but developed only 10 horsepower.

Fiat 1101 Campagnola (AR-59)

     Notes: This is a progressive update of a post-World War 2 design.  It was introduced in 1959, but many remain in service today, particularly with Yugoslavia.  It is a basic light-jeep-type vehicle with good towing capability (the Italians often used it to tow the 1.29-ton OTO Melara 105mm Pack Howitzer).  The driver and commander have conventional seats, and the passengers have bench seats in the rear.  The vehicle has a soft canvas top with hard doors; the top has a folding frame and the entire top may be folded to the rear if desired.  The tops of the doors may also be removed or even swung back a full 180 degrees and clipped against the sides of the rear sides of the vehicle. The windshield may be folded flat against the hood.  It is rare, but weapons mounts may be added, though AR-59s carrying 106mm recoilless rifles are fairly common, and some Yugoslavian variants have launchers for AT-2 or AT-3 missiles.  Though the AR-59 was largely replaced by the Fiat Nuova Campagnola, it is still in service with the armies of the former Yugoslavia, and it was for a time produced under license by Zastava (though they call it the AR-51, and it is somewhat different in performance and in the engine; it is a diesel developing 52 horsepower). The AR-59 1101 uses a Fiat 4-cylinder engine developing 48 horsepower, while the AR-59 1102 uses a Fiat 40-horsepower 4-cylinder diesel engine. In 1955, the AR-59 1101A was fitted with a 60-horsepower gasoline engine, while the 1102A used a 42-horsepower diesel engine.

Fiat Nuova Campagnola 1107AD (AR-76A)

     Notes: This is the standard light vehicle of Italy, Tunisia, and the former Yugoslavia.  The Nuova Campagnola is a 4x4 vehicle, which can be easily modified to suit varying roles.  Hard top and soft versions are available, with the soft top able to fold to the rear of the vehicle.  Both models have hard doors, with the tops of the doors able to be removed and the windshield folded against the hood.  Variants include a version for desert or tropical use, which has a high-efficiency air cleaner, an extra fuel filter, a sealed clutch system, extra protection for the front end, and a low-octane engine which has lower horsepower but can digest just about any sort of gasoline, even that which is dirty (to an extent).  Another version is the Nuova Campagnola 2500, which uses a diesel engine.  The Nuova Campagnola may be adapted for a variety of roles, including ambulances, command vehicles, radio carriers, and ATGM or recoilless rifle carriers.  Standard features for all versions include a heater, a towing pintle, a fire extinguisher, and a rack at the rear for jerry cans.  Options include air conditioning and various weapons mounts. Power is provided by a Fiat 4-cylinder gasoline engine developing 80 horsepower; diesel versions are powered by a Sofim diesel developing 72 horsepower. Tropicalized versions are somewhat robbed of their horsepower, using the same engine, but developing only 76 horsepower.

     The Nuova Campagnola is one of the vehicles which has been modified into “Popemobiles.” Pope John Paul II was riding in his Nuova Campagnola in 1981 when he was shot in an assassination attempt.

IVECO 40.10 (VM 90)

     Notes: This 4x4 light truck is a development of a commercial vehicle known as the Daily.  23 countries, including Italy, Pakistan, Belgian Police, Netherlands, Portugal, and Yugoslavia use it.  A version of the 40.10 is used by Canada (see Light Support Vehicle Wheeled).  The 40.10 WM is sort of a hybrid, larger than an SUV but smaller than a full-sized truck. The layout is conventional, and the cargo area is all steel with folding seats along the sides and a folding tailgate.  Variants of this vehicle include a cargo/troop carrier, container/shelter carrier, ambulance, and van. The military version is the VM90T Torpedo, the VM-90P Protetto is a version with a light armored body, and the Ambulanza VM 90 is an ambulance variant (not detailed here). There is a 2000-kilogram-capacity winch in the front, and the cab roof is reinforced to mount a light or medium machinegun. Power for the 40.10 is provided by a Fiat 8140 turbodiesel developing 103 horsepower; for the 40.12 the engine is a version of the 40.10’s engine developing 122 horsepower, while for the 40.13 and VM 90P, it is 125 horsepower.

     The VM 90P was sort of a failure. Designed for convoy escort missions, the VM 90P is sorely lacking in protection and doesn’t have a specially protected floor. Unable to stand up against even light machinegun fire, mines, and IEDs, the troops who are assigned to it regard it as a deathtrap. They nicknamed the VM 90P the Scarrafone (Big Ugly Cockroach) – it’s speedy, but easily stepped on and squashed.

IVECO 6640 G/H/A

    Notes: The 6640 is a wheeled personnel carrier used by Italy in amphibious assaults and in disaster relief operations.  It has a boat-type hull and is propelled in the water by hydrojets.  The engine is at the front of the vehicle; behind this is the cab, and behind that is the passenger compartment.  Both the cab and the passenger compartment are open, though the cab and passenger compartment have a tarpaulin cover.  The front of the vehicle has a 4.5-ton capacity winch, and the rear area has a cargo crane with a capacity of 700 kilograms. The 6640 G is powered by a Model 8062 turbodiesel developing 195 horsepower; the 6640 H is powered by a 210-horsepower turbodiesel engine.

     The 6640 A was the predecessor of the 6640 G and 6640 H; it was designed primarily for Italian civilian agencies such as the Home Office of Civil Protection and certain firefighting units, but is also suitable for military use.  It is a physically smaller vehicle, primarily in its wheelbase, which is almost a half a meter shorter, and the total length, which is nearly a whole meter shorter.  The 6640 A’s layout is similar to that of the later versions, but there is no short, covered section of the passenger compartment as there is on the 6640 G and H.  Water propulsion is by a four-bladed propeller instead of a hydrojet.    The front of the vehicle has a crane with a 3-ton capacity and 30 meters of 11mm cable.  The transmission is manual instead of the automatic transmission of the later models. Power is provided by a Model 8060 diesel developing 117 horsepower.

Lamborghini LM-002 & 004/7000

     Notes: These are basically larger, heavier, militarized versions of the civilian Cheetah dune buggy.  They have the appearance of militarized sports cars.  The LM-002 is the base version; it has seating for two, plus a small rumble seat in the rear where three more can be squeezed in.  Alternatively, the rear seat can contain cargo, extra radios, weapons, etc.  The LM-004/7000 is larger, more powerful, and roomier, more a military SUV than a car.  The roof of the passenger section has a hard top (though the hard top may be removed totally or replaced with a canvas top), and the small rear cargo section may also be topped with a canvas tilt.  Under the floor of the cargo section is a spare tire, and a towing hook is provided at the rear.  A rack may be added to the rear for two jerry cans.  A front-mounted winch is also optional, but not included in these stats. The body panels are largely square, flat, or angular, as these are easier to replace or repair than rounded panels; these panels are over a tubular frame. The performance was such that special tires had to be designed to match the performance of the vehicles. Suspension is switchable 4x4/4x2. The Lamborghini L503 gasoline engine develops a whopping 332 horsepower, propelling the LM-002 to 200 kilometers per hour on-road in some situations; the LM-004/7000 was powered by an even stronger Lamborghini 7000 414-horsepower engine. (This engine was originally designed to be a speedboat engine.) The LM-004/7000 has a refrigerated water tank with a tap between the rear seats; the water tank holds 20 liters.

OM Leoncino

     Notes: This is a small truck adopted by the Italian Army in the early 1960s.  It is a conventional truck with a cab up front and the cargo area in the rear.  The cab is soft-topped, and the cargo area can be covered with a tarpaulin, though it has no tailgate, door, or even drop sides.  The windshield may be folded flat over the hood. The cab doors may be removed.  There is a winch in the front bumper with a capacity of 2 tons. The Leoncino can haul 1.5 tons on-roads, and tow 2 tons off-road or 3 tons on roads. Through most of Leoncino production, it was powered by a Model CO2D diesel developing 85 horsepower. However, early production used an OM3770 diesel developing 54 horsepower, and late production vehicles were equipped with a 92-horsepower engine (I don’t know the make of that engine).

     This Leoncino was also in common use by civilians and civilian concerns. License production was carried out by Bussing of Germany, Steyr of Austria, and Saurer of Switzerland.

Prinoth All-Track

     Notes: Though designed for military use, Prinoth has not been successful in making any military sales of the All-Track.  However, the All-Track has proved to be popular with civilian agencies, particularly those operating in alpine-type and other mountainous regions.  Similar in design to many other such vehicles, the All-Track uses a two-module design, with a front section containing the driver and a limited amount of passenger seats and a rear module connected by an articulating joint and carrying most of the cargo or other passengers.  The front module has two large doors on either side of the cab and another at the rear of the module, and the windows are also very large, offering unparalleled visibility.   The rear module has likewise large windows and is accessed by a large door on the rear of the module.  The All-Track may be equipped with either summer or winter treads; the winter treads are of woven rubber with reinforcing belts of a copper/aluminum alloy and steel plate-type track shoes.  The summer treads are narrower, but also use rubber tracks with the same sort of reinforcement, but have normal steel track shoes.  The summer treads are suitable for rough ground and deep sand in addition to road use and normal open ground.  Three engines are available for the All-Track; 55 and 60-horsepower diesel engines, or a 115-horsepower gasoline engine.  The transmission is automatic, and the steering power assisted.  As might be expected on a basically civilian vehicle, options are myriad and too numerous to mention. It should be noted that of the Load rating, 600 kg is designed to be carried in the front module, while the other 1000 kg is carried in the rear module. Towing capacity is 3.2 tons, from a tow pintle on the rear module.

     In addition to the standard enclosed cargo/passenger rear module, flatbed rear modules are also available, as well as a module decked out as an ambulance (a variant known as the Life-All).  For military use, Prinoth has also developed versions with rear modules configured with ammunition racks for artillery and other large-caliber guns, command vehicles, communications vehicles, versions with amphibious capability, and even a version with light armor plating and a hatch on the front module with a weapon mount for virtually any sort of machinegun, automatic grenade launcher, recoilless rifle or light rocket launcher, or light ATGM.  The military versions would be powered only by the 60-horsepower diesel engine and be amphibious.  (No military version has yet been sold yet; however, the armored version is included below for completeness and as sort of a “what-if”).

*Floor AV is 4Sp.