DESCRIPTION

Alvis FV603 Saracen Mk.5

Unpainted kit set, 219 parts

The Alvis Company of Coventry had a reputation of building desirable prestige cars during the 1930s, so when they began producing a new Armoured Personnel Carrier for the British Army at the end of the 1940s, the public knew it was going to be capable and extremely well built.

Initially intending to produce the Saladin armoured car for the British Army, the worrying emergency in Malaya brought about an immediate change in priority, with the FV603 Saracen armoured personnel carrier being given priority.

The Saracen was operated by a crew of two, with space in its rear compartment for ten troops, placing the commander and wireless operator in forward-facing seats behind the driver, with the eight troopers facing each other in two banks of four, and their backs on either side of the armoured chassis.

Possessing excellent performance over most terrain, the Saracen is historically linked with images of the vehicle patrolling the streets of towns and cities across the world, rather than in armour-contested battlefields.