While poking round on Instagram I discovered an image of what regarded like a colorless inexperienced military-spec Mercedes-Benz G-Class that had been lately delivered to the forces combating on the entrance strains of Ukraine. The @future_Ukraine account labeled the car in query not because the much-beloved Mercedes Geländewagen, as a substitute it was referred to as out as a Peugeot P4. The P4 was a license-built French model of the beloved German utility car constructed completely of 90-degree angles on wheels.
Even although the Mercedes G-Wagen has strayed from its navy roots to grow to be the final word standing image propelled by Hollywood and the Kardashians, Mercedes does certainly nonetheless make a contemporary model for navy operations. It’s referred to as the 464 G-Class Utility Truck and it’s for non-civilian use solely. Pricing info for a 464 isn’t publicly shared, however the closest civilian counterpart, the W463 G400d, is north of $150,000. With a strained protection finances, Ukraine isn’t spending that form of dough on gentle utility automobiles that can probably meet their finish on the battlefield.
That’s the place the aged Peugeot P4 is available in. It’s the right car for the job as a result of it was particularly engineered for navy responsibility within the early ‘80s and is well-suited for the kind of hybrid warfare happening on the front line. The French military phased out its use of the P4 back in 2016, and examples can be found on the surplus market, mostly in France, for roughly $10,000. That ten grand buys a reconditioned Pug P4 ready to get back to duty. It neatly fits Ukraine’s materials and tools necessities within the struggle in opposition to Russia. Those combating for his or her freedom want one thing low cost, produced in comparatively excessive volumes, straightforward to supply and provide by non-state businesses (nations straight supplying Ukraine with navy support and tools will be delicate), and most significantly, succesful.
The P4 has lengthy served the French navy each in France and its abroad territories. Nations sure to France by protection agreements additionally operated the P4, and the rationale it hasn’t gained a cult following in car-nerd circles just like the Toyota Mega Cruiser or Suzuki Jimny is as a result of it was by no means allowed to be exported to some other nation than those tied to the navy of France. Outside these nations the sunshine utility car is just about exceptional. Until 2016, that’s. It was then {that a} good chunk of P4 fashions had been donated to Cameroon’s forces and the remainder ended up on the excess circuit and you’ll at all times discover good examples in specialty gross sales heaps like Lys Tout Terrain, for instance.
In the late ‘60s, the French navy had established that their fleet of Willys Jeeps leftover from the WWII days would quickly be out of date. As the position referred to as for a light-weight utility car, it wanted to satisfy the payload necessities to be transported by air to varied French bases and battle zones. It additionally wanted to hold 4 troopers with radio and commonplace navy tools. Most importantly, it wanted to be French-built. The solely drawback was that the 4×4 market in France on the time was not very strong, with few producers producing a succesful platform that may meet the wants of the French navy. Citroën, Peugeot, and Renault had been tasked with discovering an answer, and with the intention to meet the factors, Renault turned to their companion, Fiat, to homologate the Campagnola to satisfy the French-made necessities. Citroën got here up with the C44, which was a Volkswagen Iltis with a French powerplant.
But it was the Peugoet P4 that finally gained the navy bid. The P4 was a G-Class with the engine from a Peugeot 504 and the transmission from a 604. Peugeot additionally welded the truck up, put in {the electrical} methods, and painted the vans at their Sochaux plant. The testing part started in 1978, and by 1981 the primary spherical of P4 examples had been delivered. Then in 1985, truck maker Panhard took over manufacturing to hold out the remaining orders.
These automobiles served till 2016, and now a few of them reside a second life within the Russo-Ukranian War. ORYX maintains an unofficial stock of the navy automobiles delivered to Ukraine, of which the P4 seems. According to the Ukranian navy weblog Militarnyi, navy working out of the Dnipro Defense Headquarters straight bought extra Peugeot P4 fashions past the NGO-supplied examples.
Many of those vans by no means noticed fight throughout their time in service, therefore they remained in best situation. Almost a decade after they had been retired from the French navy, they proceed to serve–albeit in a a lot totally different capability—in Ukrainian arms.
Source: jalopnik.com