mk1 wrote: ↑Wed Jul 12, 2023 9:39 am
I believe there was some further development in Aus after the project was cancelled in 1968. I believe the same (or a similar) system was used in the prototype 4WD Mokes.
Maybe our Aussie contingent will know more.
The (single engine) 4WD Moke and the Ant had rather different drive trains. They did disassemble an Ant here with the idea of using some of the concepts of that in the 4WD Moke, but in the end, went a much simpler route based on a layout first suggested by Issigonis.
It's a real shame on many fronts that the Ant was cancelled.
mk1 wrote: ↑Wed Jul 12, 2023 9:39 am
I believe there was some further development in Aus after the project was cancelled in 1968. I believe the same (or a similar) system was used in the prototype 4WD Mokes.
Maybe our Aussie contingent will know more.
Mark, unfortunately your supposition there is incorrect. As Spider has commented Leyland Australia did partly disassemble an Ant when they were developing their own 4WD Moke, the Ant was one of two sent to Aus for local evaluation and market research.
The Ant transmission is completely different to either the British or Aus 4WD Moke layout.
Pandora wrote: ↑Wed Jul 12, 2023 3:01 pm
I have a (very) dim and distant memory of an article in a fairly early Miniworld about the blue 4WD clubman rallycross car that Special Tuning built having the transmission from an Ant used at the factory to pull dead cars off the line. The donuts had holes drilled in them to get the spring rate right I think? It might have been an 8 port engine on the 4WD box and transmission system. In the end the weight and complexity was probably not enough of a benefit over FWD on the short events
Al
Pandora, the transmission they used in the Rallycross Clubman was from a British 4WD Moke, definitely not an Ant, they are very different indeed.
As the 4WD Moke 'box was only 3 sync and they had a full blown works 8 port engine on it, it didn't last long as you can imagine. They did rebuilt it several times but after that flurry of 4WD cars (Ford, BMC, Triumph, Daf etc) the use of 4WD in Rallycross faded pretty much until the Group B cars turned up.
I just re-read all 16 pages of that thread from 2011 and realised one thing hasn't changed - I still dream of owning an Ant, but still couldn't afford to.
