Half-track vehicles in World War II and before the more common, this is because of the technical conditions at that time, people are difficult to achieve a balance between maneuverability and off-road performance, so the half-track structure is like a compromise design, after World War II wheeled vehicle performance greatly improved, half-track design gradually faded out of people's vision, Land Rover "Centaur" is one of the rare such designs.
The Land Rover Centaurus was actually a modified vehicle, introduced in 1978 as a transport vehicle for transporting supplies over complex terrain, but it was not a success on its own.
Its modification is based on the Land Rover III off-road vehicle, which is a series of equipment inspired by the World War II jeep, the earliest Type I began production in 1948, the Type III began production in the early 1970s, with a total production of about 440,000, is a very successful model. A 2.25-liter diesel engine is installed in the front engine compartment, which can output 62 horsepower, the vehicle has a new welded frame, and adopts a 4×4 driving mode, because the previous model has the defect of the rear axle break, the type III has strengthened the wheel hub, axle, transmission, etc.
Land Rover "Centaur" changed the rear axle wheels to tracks, this track is taken from the FV101 Scorpion light tank, but shortened in size, originally had 5 pairs of torsion bar suspension load wheels, now changed to 3 pairs of load wheels, tracks with rubber pads, can reduce the damage to the road, there is a hydraulic tension structure, the length of the ground is about 1 meter, so that you can avoid excessive increase in length, while the vehicle has indeed improved in off-road ability, and the load-bearing capacity has also been enhanced.
The vehicle is equipped with a more powerful 3.5-liter V8 engine, its transmission has two modes of high and low gear, with 4 forward and 1 reverse gear, the maximum driving speed is 80 km / h, and the fuel tank volume in the car is 200 liters, which can reach the maximum road travel of 700 km.
The Land Rover Centaur weighs about 3 tonnes, is 5.62 metres long and 2 metres wide, and has a collapsible roof that can be easily loaded into large and medium-sized freighters for long-range deployment. The basic cargo model can be equipped with a tow hook in addition to transport, and can tow a light 105 mm gun, or a NATO standard trailer or other towing equipment.
The company proposed a variety of derivative models, the supply car model in addition to carrying certain supplies, there are airbags that can accommodate 2700 liters of fuel, the ambulance version can accommodate 4 stretchers, the Ranger EMI mine laying system installed by the mine laying vehicle can lay up to more than 700 mines, the reconnaissance vehicle version uses an open cockpit, equipped with a 7.62 mm machine gun for combat, and the anti-aircraft version installs a single-barrel 20 mm anti-aircraft gun.
In addition, there are anti-tank missile launchers, armored/unarmored personnel carriers, command vehicles and other models, and the company has proposed a fully armored vehicle, but there is no actual production.
The production of Land Rover "Centaur" is not much, it has been in service in South Africa, Rhodesia, Australia and other countries and regions, Iraq has also had its presence, was shipped there by the United Kingdom for testing, and later damaged and sold. The car's evaluation is not too good, mainly because the off-road fuel consumption is too high, and it has been completely retired so far.