Thornycroft Antar The Mighty Antar was a heavy - duty tractor unit built by Thornycroft from the 1940s onwards . For some decades it was the standard tank transporter of the British Army and was also used by other nations . History . Origins . The civilian version of the Antar was developed in the late 1940s as an oilfield vehicle for transporting pipes over rough ground . They were of 6x4 layout ( i . e . six wheels , four of them driven ) , with the front ( steering ) axle undriven and with twin wheels on both driven ( rear ) axles ( technically ten wheels , eight of them driven , as each rear axles has four wheels ) . The vehicle was designed from the outset for off - road use , like the earlier Scammell Pioneer and unlike the road - going Diamond T it was eventually to replace . The engine , the Meteorite , was a cut - down V8 version of the V12 Rolls - Royce Meteor used in tanks , itself a non - aero version of the Merlin and made under licence by the Rover Co Ltd . Early Antars used the petrol version made by Rover and by the early 1950s the Rolls - Royce - manufactured diesel versions of the engine . Choice of the " Mighty Antar " name . The name " Antar " was a reference to Antar Ibn Shadded , a pre - Islamic Arab poet - warrior . The intended lead customer for the " Mighty Antar " was the Anglo - Iranian Oil Company , previously the Anglo - Persian Oil Company , and this was a deliberate move to flatter the customer . Introduction into Army service . In 1951 , the first Antars entered British Army service . These were fixed - body steel - built ballast tractor s and were given the design number FV 12001 and the designation " Tractor 30 - ton GS 6x4 " . They could haul the new 50 - ton Dyson FV 3601 trailers that were being used to carry the new and heavier Centurion tank s . A 20 - ton winch was fitted behind the cab , although just provided for loading the trailer rather than for recovery . At this time , the intention was that the even heavier Conqueror tank would be transported by a whole new transporter of equally large capacity , the Leyland FV 1000 . This was wider than the Antar , as the Antar had in turn been wider than the Diamond T . They were to be equipped with a semi - trailer of 60 tons capacity , given the design number FV 3301 . This design was ungainly and top - heavy when loaded , being high at the rear to clear the wheels and sloping downwards towards the front to better place the weight of the load . Partly inspired by this semi - trailer , a new FV 12002 version of the Antar was developed as a tractor unit to haul it . This was a graceful swan - neck design and had only a small hump over the rear wheels , making loading by the rear ramps simpler . The trackways on which the tank sat were carried outboard of the trailer frame itself , which rose up between them at the front to form the swan neck , sloping only gently to clear the tank ' s hull . This gave a stronger and yet more compact layout than the ungainly step of the FV 1000 project ' s . The first version of this was the 16 - wheeled FV 3001 of 60 tons capacity . This was later refined as the FV 3005 with smaller wheels , then the 50 - ton - capacity FV 3011 ( when using the Taskers / Sankey trailer ) for carrying the Centurion . As the semi - trailer Antars entered service through 1953 to 1955 , and after the abandonment of the FV 1000 project , they replaced the American Diamond T that had served during the Second World War as the British Army ' s main tank transporter . Recovery vehicles . The Antar tractor itself was heavier , at 20 tons , than any available recovery vehicle could lift for a suspended tow . There had been plans in the super - heavy FV 1000 and FV 1200 series for recovery vehicles , but these were cancelled with the rest of the project . As an " ad hoc " measure in 1952 , an RASC officer devised a bolt - on recovery jib that could be fitted to one Antar to make it capable of the suspended towing of another , although this modification was never approved for mass production . Later service . In the early 1960s the Mark 3 entered service , to support the increasing weight of later Centurion models and also future plans for the Chieftain tank . These were the last Antars in service , remaining until the mid - 1980s . The Mark 3 is visually distinct from the earlier models , the use of an inline engine rather than the wide vee of the Meteorite allowing a much narrower bonnet . The Mark 3 used either a 50 - or 60 - ton semi - trailer ( numbered as FV 12004 ) or could be converted to the FV 12006 ballast tractor configuration for hauling the 50 - ton Dyson full trailer . Replacement . By the late 1960s , it was clear that the Antar , even when re - engined , was an old design and replacement would be needed . There was also concern over the spares situation , as they were out of production and Thornycroft had been absorbed , via AEC , into the vast mass of Leyland . The Antar was replaced by the Scammell Commander in 1986 . Specification . Antar Mark 1B . 1B denotes ballast body for Dyson trailer . Antar Mark 2A & B . 2A denotes articulated for Dyson 50 - ton semi - trailer or Sankey 60 - ton semi - trailer . Basically the same as the Mk 1 but for relocation of the two x 100 gallon fuel tanks stacked the rear of the cab , to saddle in the centre of the vehicle . A Dowty 20 - ton winch is now located rear of the cab and a PTO - driven hydraulic pump to serve the Sankey semi - trailer loading ramps and wheel changing jacks . One Mark 2 was converted with an AEC diesel engine for army trials in 1963 , being sold off in 1971 . Antar Mark 3 . A & B Totally new , narrower , body and cab . The inline engine permitted a much narrower bonnet than the Meteorite ' s wide vee . The gearbox was similar but the main stick ( gear lever ) gave six speeds with a single stick for all winch and PTO control functions . A third differential was fitted to the second axle , with a cab - operated diff - lock . Max speed . With the Chieftain MBT the all - up weight was 101 tons ; they were road - tested at 126 tons .