Daimler Dingo The Daimler Scout Car , known in service as the " Dingo " ( after the Australian wild dog ) , was a British light fast four - wheel drive reconnaissance vehicle also used in the liaison role during the Second World War . Design and development . In 1938 the British War Office issued a specification for a scouting vehicle . Three British motor manufacturers : Alvis , BSA Cycles and Morris were invited to supply prototypes . Alvis had been in partnership with Nicholas Straussler and provided armoured cars to the Royal Air Force , Morris had participated in trials and production of armoured cars , and BSA Cycles - whose parent Birmingham Small Arms ( BSA ) was involved in armaments - had a small front wheel drive vehicle in production . Testing began in August 1938 . All were of similar size and layout - rear engine and all four wheels driven . The Morris design was eliminated first - suffering from poor speed even after modification by its builders . The Alvis prototype - known as " Dingo " - could manage 50 mph over a cross country course but had a high centre of gravity . The BSA prototype was completed in September and handed over for testing . By December it had covered 10 , 000 miles on - and off - road with few mechanical problems . Policy from the War Office changed to a requirement for better armour with the effect that an armoured roof was needed . As a consequence the BSA vehicle needed a more powerful engine and strengthened suspension . It was chosen over the Alvis and the first order ( 172 vehicles ) for the " Car , Scout , Mark I " was placed in May 1939 . The actual production was passed to Daimler , which was a vehicle manufacturer in the BSA group of companies . The design was seen to have potential and served as the basis for the development of a larger armoured car - a " Light Tank ( Wheeled ) " . Design work on what would become the Daimler Armoured Car began in April 1939 and the first pilot built by the end of the year . The vehicle was later officially designated Daimler Scout Car , but became widely known by the name of Alvis ' s design - " Dingo " . Arguably one of the finest armoured fighting vehicle s built in Britain during the war , the Dingo was a small two - man armoured car . It was well protected for its size with 30 mm of armour at the front . The 2 . 5 litre 55 hp engine was located at the rear of the vehicle . One of the ingenious features of Dingo was the transmission ; a pre - selector gearbox and fluid flywheel that gave five speeds in both directions . As first produced the Scout Car had four - wheel steering ; this gave it a tight turning circle of . However inexperienced drivers found it difficult to control and so steering of the rear wheels was dropped in later production at the cost of increasing the turning circle to . The layout of the transmission components in the lower hull contributed to its low silhouette . The transfer box and its single differential was centrally positioned and propshafts on either side ran to the wheels front and back . Although the Dingo featured a flat plate beneath the chassis to slide across uneven ground , it was extremely vulnerable to mines . No spare wheel was carried , but it was not really necessary because of the use of run - flat ( nearly solid ) rubber tyres instead of pneumatic . Despite the hard tyres , the independent coil suspension gave it a very comfortable ride ; each wheel had about 8 inches of vertical deflection . A swivelling seat next to the driver allowed the other crew member to attend to the No . 19 wireless set or Bren gun when required . It had the ideal quiet engine and a low silhouette . The Dingo was in production throughout the war . To bring other production resources into use , the design was passed to Canada and an equivalent vehicle was built using a Ford chassis . Due to the different transmission arrangement , the resulting vehicle was about a foot taller . Service . The Dingo was first used by the British Expeditionary Force ( 1st Armoured Division and 4th Northumberland Fusiliers ) during the Battle of France . It turned out to be so successful that no replacement was sought until 1952 with the production of the Daimler Ferret . Principal users were reconnaissance units with a typical late - war recce troop consisting of two Daimler Armoured Cars and two Daimler Dingoes . The vehicle was highly sought - after with damaged Dingoes often being recovered from vehicle dumps and reconditioned for use as private runabouts . One such ' off establishment ' vehicle was rebuilt from two damaged Dingoes in Normandy , 1944 , by REME vehicle fitters of 86th Anti - Tank Regiment , Royal Artillery . They operated this Dingo for about a week before a higher ranking officer spotted it and commandeered it for himself . Writing in 1968 author R . E . Smith ( British Vehicles and Army Equipment ) said that all Dingoes had now been withdrawn from British service - except for one used as a runabout at an armoured establishment - but some might have remained in Territorial Army storage at that date . In mid - 1970s the Dingo was still being used by Cyprus , Portugal and Sri Lanka . Some may have been in reserve store with other minor nations . Surviving vehicles are now popular among historical re - enactors with reconditioned Dingoes commanding a good price . Variants . Production went through 5 variants which were mostly minor improvements . 6 , 626 vehicles were produced from 1939 to 1945 . Another Dingo clone , the " Autoblinda Lince " was developed by Lancia , Italy . In 1943 - 1944 , 129 cars were built . They were employed by both German and RSI forces .