PANHARD ARMOURED CAR 1961 ONWARDS (AML60, AML 90 AND ELAND) ENTHUSIASTS’ MANUAL
A TRULY ‘UNIVERSAL’ ARMOURED CAR, BROKEN DOWN IN BRILLIANT CHARACTERISTIC TECHNICAL DETAILS
Authors: Simon Dunstan Publisher: Haynes Publishing Price: £25.00
Designed in France in the late 1950s, the Panhard Armoured Car (in its various types) was so popular that it would be kept in production until 1987, with nearly 5,000 being built. After being developed as a heavily armed reconnaissance vehicle for the French Army, it went into service with over 50 other countries around the world for internal security, peace keeping, and war fighting, especially in Africa.
The simplicity of the design allowed for easy maintenance and the ability to operate under a wide range of conditions. Its heavy weaponry even allowed this pocket Hercules to go toeto-toe with main battle tanks – and win.
As a Haynes Manual, the book follows their winning formula of mixing technical details with military history, supported by a downto-earth approach and the sort of personal accounts that put you right in the action. Starting with a history of the development of the type, the book then provides a chapter on the car in French service, a detailed anatomical study of the vehicle, descriptions of the main variants, and then a further detailed technical chapter on how to restore a Panhard, based on the author’s own projects.
The book concludes with a lengthy section detailing each of the main overseas operators and their service with the type, and finally a chapter on the ‘Eland in Combat’, which delves into six engagements fought by the South African Defence Forces in Angola in 1975. Well-written, it is also superbly illustrated throughout.