One Tonne Of Fun
Bob Morrison takes a closer look at a restored FC 101
Military With Bob Morrison: this month his looks at a restored Forward Control 101
FROM TIME to time I am asked to name my favourite military Land Rover model, even though the answer is really a bit of a no-brainer. Over the last three decades I have driven, or been driven in, a great many different Land Rovers on four of the earth’s seven continents; hopefully I’ll eventually manage Australasia and South America too, but I suspect Antarctica could be a problem.
Of all these different models the boxy 101 inch Forward Control, often referred to as the One Tonne (pronounced Won Tunny) or FC 101, in my opinion stands head and shoulders above the rest as it is not only a highly-capable compact military load carrier and towing vehicle but is also damn good fun to drive. Although this truck gives the appearance of being big and bulky, it is actually several inches shorter than either its leaf-sprung 109 inch wheelbase sibling or the next generation 110 inch wheelbase coil-sprung successors, and only a few inches taller, yet its 3528cc V8 petrol engine combined with a shorter wheelbase and higher ground clearance make it a powerful and highly mobile off-road vehicle.
First conceived 50 years ago, in 1967,
the FC 101 was intended from the outset to be a prime mover for the proposed 105 mm Light Gun replacement for the in-service Italian-designed 105 mm Pack Howitzer. As both the new artillery piece and its gun tractor would need to be transportable inside the RAF Chinook transport helicopter and Royal Navy landing craft there were length and width restrictions to the design. As they would also need to be individually transported under the lower payload RAF Wessex helicopter, there were weight limitations, too.
The dimensional problems were overcome primarily by using a Cab Over Engine (COE) or Forward Control design, resulting in a boxy envelope in which space was efficiently utilised. Even the spare wheel is carried internally, behind the driver’s seat, but is still easily accessible from outside without the need to unload or move cargo. The weight, and to a lesser degree height, issues were overcome by making the body sides, cab components, windscreen and tilt frame easily demountable, just like on the 88 inch Lightweight model of the same period, but the resultant stripped-down tractor could still be driven off the helicopter landing site (or parachute drop zone) if necessary.
By the time series production commenced in 1972, helicopter lift capability was no longer an issue but the ability to strip down the vehicle to reduce height and allow it to be fitted on an MSP (Medium Stressed Platform) along with an artillery piece or trailer for parachute insertion by RAF C-130 Hercules aircraft proved to be invaluable. The easily stripped-down bodywork also made it possible to later convert surplus gun tractors to high-mobility ambulances or signals repair trucks, but that is another story.
Both the British Army and the Royal Air Force, who at the time had a different procurement system, used the basic configuration FC 101 plus two specialist conversions designed to tow and transport the Towed Rapier close air defence system. This anti-aircraft system was used by both the Royal Artillery and the RAF Regiment. A not