Staff car advice sought!

[matchlesswdg3]

There do not seem to be many (any?) WW2 era staff cars out there for sale ( advert paced here in the classifieds and I have looked elsewhere, but...).  So I am thinking of buying suitably dated civvy car and doing the olive drab thing - eg with a Hillman Minx.  Now I know certain models had distinct military versions, eg Austin 7 and 8 and Humbers, but for something like a Minx or (?????)  were they indeed just civvy cars that were slopped over with camo' paint, albeit maybe with minor mods such as deleted chrome (??).

 

Edited June 17 by matchlesswdg3

[Rootes75]

In answer to that, the Minx was basically a dulled down civilian model. Painted over chromework and no hub caps fitted was the norm.

[MatchFuzee]

Cars built under contract for the Military in the early war years as follows:
Austin 8hp, 10hp,
Hillman 10hp, 14 hp
Humber Super Snipe, Snipe mk2 saloon, Snipe Heavy Utility, Pullman
Standard 10 hp
Vauxhall 14 hp series J1, 25 hp series G
In addition there may well have been some civilian impressed cars from various manufactures added to the mix there are 616 ''Cars Various impressed'' listed in the Chilwell lists with early army registrations and there could have been many more,
Ford is not listed as a supplier of cars at this early stage of the war but that is not to say that some did not find their way to France.

From part the discussion on "BEF Field Cars". 

https://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/bef-field-cars.68835/

[Rootes75]

I do have some photos of 1937-9 Ford 10's being used as staff cars in France 1940, I recall one was a private vehicle taken over to France by a padre.

[matchlesswdg3]

Very useful - thanks!

[10FM68]

You can add pretty much any useful British saloon from the late 30s - there are pictures of Wolseleys being used for ATS driver training on the internet and here is a photo of a couple of Ford Prefects in France with the BEF

[matchlesswdg3]

OK - having just bought a rare 1939 Morris Eight Series E tourer, I have found a photo of an earlier Series Morris 8 being used by the Royal Signals as a radio car in the 1930s.  See photo - I think the lower photo is of a Morris Minor of same era.....I guess both would be in gloss green.  I probably won't paint my 1939 Tourer as a radio car, although it is tempting - there must have been ONE with the BEF??

Edited July 13 by matchlesswdg3

[REME 245]

Probably replaced by 8 or 15cwt vehicles by 1939.  The Royal Signal Museum from memory have an example of a car radio vehicle.  Not sure wich make.

[Nick Johns]

On 7/13/2024 at 12:28 PM, matchlesswdg3 said:

OK - having just bought a rare 1939 Morris Eight Series E tourer, I have found a photo of an earlier Series Morris 8 being used by the Royal Signals as a radio car in the 1930s.  See photo - I think the lower photo is of a Morris Minor of same era.....I guess both would be in gloss green.  I probably won't paint my 1939 Tourer as a radio car, although it is tempting - there must have been ONE with the BEF??

I think there is only one known restored survivor Morris 8 tourer radio car in existance, often seen out at shows and road runs, .....I do not think any series E Morris 8's were used as radio cars, by 1939 the military had purpose built radio trucks in use

Edited July 17 by Nick Johns