3.7 tonnes Ferret is popular with collectors and re-enactors and though long vanished from the UK order of battle is still fielded by a number of Commonwealth forces.
Coming into service for the first time in 1943 was the US manufactured Staghound (Marks 1,2, & 3). A heavy vehicle armed with a 75mm and, in the case of the final variant, three .30 cal. Machine guns. The Staghound was a light tank bar the tracks and, though effective in certain terrain was actually too big to negotiate the narrow lanes of ancient Italian and latterly French townships.
At the other end of the scale the wartime AEC armoured car was replaced by the Alvis Saladin, weighing in at a hefty 11.6 tonnes. It was of steel armoured construction, had a crew of three and its main armament comprised a powerful 76 mm gun. Secondary armament was provided by two machine-guns. Part of the Alvis FV600 series its fellows were Saracen (armoured personnel carrier (“2APC”)) and Stalwart (all terrain supply). Never fully deployed in earnest Saladins, from B squadron 16/5 Lancers, nevertheless defended Nicosia Airport during the crisis of 1974. The vehicle remained in the service of Commonwealth and other forces for many years (including a batch delivered to West Germany for use by their border guards). Saladin was the opposite end of the scale to Ferret, a tank minus tracks which could add substantial firepower to the reconnaissance role
Despite technical advances and knowledge gained from battlefield experience the function of the armoured car remains the same, it has to be fast yet must provide crew member with both protection and firepower. If its role is not to initiate combat and must be equipped to deal with a combat situation. It is not a tank, though armoured cars have sometimes been described as tanks without tracks and larger up-gunned vehicles such as Saladin have a formidable appearance. A wheeled vehicle is likely to be faster, more manoeuvrable and, importantly, far less noisy than its tracked equivalent
In certain peace keeping and civil unrest situations the armoured car is to be preferred over tracked vehicles as it is felt to be less intimidating. For this reason Fox was deployed in Northern Ireland during the early days of the Troubles. With its rakish lines and slender armament Fox was perhaps still too threatening. A purpose designed vehicle the Shorland, bastard child of Land Rover body and Ferret turret, was provided for the Royal Ulster Constabulary (“RUC”). Even this was later replaced by the armoured Land Rover ‘Tangi’.