Description

The Austin WN-3 Champ was an early prototype and developmental variant of what would become the production Austin FV1801 Champ, created during the late 1940s as part of the British War Department’s efforts to design a new lightweight, all-terrain vehicle for post-war military needs.

This specific prototype, the WN-3, was part of the WN (War Department Number) series of trial vehicles. The WN series helped evaluate multiple design features before settling on the final configuration for the FV1801. The WN-3 retained many of the core ideas later seen in the production model: a highly capable 4×4 platform with independent suspension, waterproofing for deep fording, and a focus on durability under combat conditions.

Unlike the final production Champ—which had a Rolls-Royce B40 engine and a complex transmission system—the WN-3 and other early prototypes experimented with different powertrains and layouts. These vehicles were also used to test field repairability, chassis stiffness, drivetrain endurance, and crew ergonomics.

The WN-3 helped inform key decisions, like refining the drivetrain’s five-speed with high/low range and developing waterproofing that allowed the Champ to wade deeply while keeping critical systems safe. It also influenced suspension development, with torsion bar independent setups offering superior off-road performance compared to leaf springs or rigid axles.

Only a few WN-3 prototypes were built, making them extremely rare. Most were eventually scrapped or lost, but a handful survive in museums or private collections. The WN-3 represents an important chapter in British military vehicle evolution—a testbed that laid the groundwork for one of the most technologically ambitious light military vehicles of its time.