British
Austin Ant
The Austin Ant (development code ADO19) is a small four-wheel drive vehicle that was designed by Sir Alec Issigonis for the motor manufacturer Austin. Although the Ant is widely regarded as a military vehicle, some sources suggest it was conceived with civilian use in mind as well. In its military role, it was a potential successor to the military version of an earlier Issigonis design, the Mini Moke. The Ant was cancelled in 1968 before full-scale production began, during the period when BMC became part of the British Leyland (BL) conglomerate; the merger caused several overlaps in model ranges, and the Ant was regarded as too close a competitor for the Land Rover range. The Ant used an A-Series engine, transverse mounted and tilted slightly backward to allow greater ground clearance and suspension movement. The main gearbox was placed in the engine sump, as on the Mini. A reduction gearbox took power from the main gearbox to the rear axle via a propshaft. The same layout was used 30 years later (with a K-Series engine) on the Rover Group's Land Rover Freelander.
Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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Sources
- Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q781038CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin_AntCC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1376302850 · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Austin_Ant_aka_ADO19_prototype_of_aborted_Mini_Moke_replacement_registered_February_1969_1098cc.JPGCC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo: Charles01 · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.