
Specifications
Year: 1945
Manufacturer(s): Daimler / Rootes Group - UK
Production: 220
Capabilities: Reconnaissance (RECCE); Security/Defense;
Manufacturer(s): Daimler / Rootes Group - UK
Production: 220
Capabilities: Reconnaissance (RECCE); Security/Defense;
Crew: 4
Length: 15.45 ft (4.71 m)
Width: 8.66 ft (2.64 m)
Height: 7.71 ft (2.35 m)
Weight: 11 tons (10,350 kg); 22,818 lb
Length: 15.45 ft (4.71 m)
Width: 8.66 ft (2.64 m)
Height: 7.71 ft (2.35 m)
Weight: 11 tons (10,350 kg); 22,818 lb
Power: 1 x Hercules RXLD 6-cylinder gasoline engine developing 175 horsepower.
Speed: 42 mph (68 kph)
Range: 249 miles (400 km)
Range: 249 miles (400 km)
Operators: Fance; United Kingdom
With Daimler and Rootes' history in the automobile industry, the Coventry proved a largely standard armored car design of the period. It fitted four large rubber tired road wheels at the extreme corners of the chassis for optimal balance across uneven terrain and sported a shallow hull structure for a low silhouette and a 360-degree traversing turret mounting the primary and secondary armament. The driver managed a position at the front left of the hull with the remaining crew in the turret set over the fighting compartment at center. The engine was fitted in a compartment at the rear in the usual way. The standard Coventry crew included four personnel - driver, assistant driver, commander and gunner. Primary armament was a QF 2-pounder (40mm) main gun with a coaxially-fitted 7.92mm BESA medium tank machine gun. Power was served through 1 x Hercules RXLD 6-cylinder gasoline-fueled engine developing 175 horsepower. The chassis was fully suspended with an all-wheel drive capability. Operational range topped 250 miles with a maximum road speed of 42 miles per hour. Armor protection was 14mm at the most critical facings.
Initial production versions were the Mark I with their 20mm armament and three-man turret. Engineers also developed a 75mm-armed (Ordnance QF 75mm) tank-killing variant with a two-man turret that was to be taken on as the "Mark II". However, the Mark II design was canceled before production began which ended the planned 900-strong order of this version.
The end of the war signaled the end for many in-development weapon systems and large purchase contracts. The Coventry fell into the latter category and managed limited service into the Cold War years, some sent to operate under British command in India. Other examples were sold off to the rebuilding French Army in the post-war decade and used in French colonial holdings thereafter. French Army Coventry cars were pressed into action during the First Indochina War (1946-1954), setting the groundwork for the bloody Vietnam War (1955-1975) to follow.
Armament
Mark I:
1 x 40mm (2-pdr) main gun
1 x 7.92mm BESA coaxial machine gun
Mark II:
1 x 75mm (QF 17-pdr) main gun
1 x 7.92mm BESA coaxial machine gun
Ammunition:
Not Available.
Variants / Models
• Mk I - Initial production model; 2-pdr (40mm) armed turret with crew of four; 220 examples produced.
• Mk II - Proposed variant; 75mm-armed turret with crew of three; cancelled before production.