page_title: Armoured Autocar
section_title: Development
hierarchical_section_title: Armoured Autocar / Development
caption_attribution_description: English: Canadian Armoured Autocar, World War I
context_page_description: The Armoured Autocar was a Canadian armoured car used as a mobile machine gun nest during the First World War.
context_section_description: The Armoured Autocar was developed by Major Raymond Brutinel, who immigrated to Canada from France. Brutinel, a Captain in the French Army Reserve, became a self-made millionaire in Canada prior to the beginning of World War I. At the beginning of the war, he promoted an idea to combine machine guns and mechanical mobility. Brutinel assured the Minister of Militia that he could raise a mobile machine gun unit with private funds. Raising units with private funding was a standard practise of the time. As Vickers machine guns were unavailable at the time, Brutinel travelled to the Colt Company of Hartford, Connecticut and placed an order for 20 Colt machine guns. He then travelled to the Autocar Company of Ardmore, Pennsylvania to purchase truck chassis which had a reliable reputation, and which could support the weight of the armour. He then moved on to the Bethlehem Steel Company where he bought stocks of 9.5mm armour plate.
caption: Another view of Armoured Autocars being cleaned
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