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I noticed this Universal Carrier up for sale by a U.K. dealer recently and thought that the photos looked interesting which I have shown here. If anyone has a little spare cash available they may wish to contact the dealer direct: Bren Carrier / T16 Universal Carrier 1942 - Saracen Exports
£32,000.00..........not the kind of spare cash I've got, but even if it had a detailed description of work done and where it come from etc I'd say still over priced as there have been cheaper ones with a lot of kit included.
Not long ago there was one on ebay for £6000 although it had some fabrication work done (and needed redoing) still a bargain, also there was two incomplete ones on Milweb, the hull of one and the running gear and bottom half of another, think the two would of been around £2000.
I was very interested in the ebay one and the two on Milweb but had just bought the Matchless and the L42..........which resulted in a distinct lack of funds. The other thing was transporting it, the Matchless and L42 are far easier and don't take up the room:lol:
Didn't people find Bren/Universal Carriers useful as alternatives to tractors when they first became available as surplus not long after the end of WW2? I seem to recall hearing stories of them being used as such?
I imported one from Canada last year for a client in Virginia. A 1943 Ford Canada, (made in Windsor, ON), variant that is 100% restored and excellent. He's been having a blast driving it around in the mountains. It's also one of a few thousand set up for a mortar section.
Brian what did he end up paying for it as imported and what was the condition ?
Agree, well over priced. One went recently for £14,000, in better shape too with all DeAc weapons fitted.
Supply and demand.
They aren't making any more.
Most were cut up for scrap or butchered for "farm tractor" use.
I've helped recover a few here in Oz, and know the locations of a couple more "unrecovered" ones. (Upper armour gas-axed off, but otherwise "complete"). Anyone want to drive 1200Km for a long-distance recovery? (assuming someone else hasn't already pinched it.) Even with these dinky vehicles, you need some serious machinery to get them out of the weeds and back to civilization.
Then you need some serious skills to bring the poor old things back from the dead.
But, as mentioned above; they ain't making them anymore.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruce_in_Oz
True with a lot of things Bruce, The problem with some Miliatary vehicles now is the price what some owners seem to think its worth......... The main problem is folk spending too much in the first place then they realise they can't do a lot a with it........ such as drive it a reasonable distance and if you don't live next to the Military Vehicle venues then the logistics are a nightmare, I know a guy who has a big old steam Tractor that I bought a pillar drill from,( same meat different gravy regarding transport), in the end he did his HGV then bought a very old low loader so he could transport it himself........ paid dividends in the end.
I do take my hat off to these guys who transport there pride and joy so all can see, its an expensive hobby.
I remember one guy quoting how much he had spent at the War and Peace show, quite eye watering considering its not the most luxury holiday for those involved, again he was one who did his own transport and just the fuel bill would pay for a decent all inclusive holiday (not my cup of tea the all inclusive, just an example but I guess propping the bar up for two weeks making the most of the inclusive drinks is the only bonus)
It does make you laugh that these guys spend ££££ and you get some moaning regarding the entrance fee of £20........... but there willing to rough it for a week so they can meet up with other collectors and friends and display there vehicles to the public.
Must admit as much as I like the Jeep, I was getting tired of seeing one every five minutes, which is a prime example where the price has been overinflated, £25,000.00 for something which has had 90% of it replaced, maybe its just me but I'm looking for something a bit more original and a bit cheaper.
I do know of one Bren Carrier that was in Laverton Western Australia when I was there many years ago, it was in someones yard along with a lot of derelict or broken vehicles.......... just the hull as far as I remember.
This is me below trying to hide a Cheiftain tank in the back pocket but was rumbled at the gate " Whats that in your pocket..... "
" something for the wife" I said.....
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../KBmKQQk-1.jpg
You are right...............nothing ex military makes a lot of money until someone wants one 30 years later in prestine condition. Just like this little SPARTAN beauty currently on of a few for sale ex MOD only three this time £19,950:
Spartan CVRT, Dieselised APC , #71822 - MOD Sales, Military Vehicles & Used Ex MOD Land Rovers for Sale
ONE CAREFUL OWNER
Personally I'm tempted by one the Sea King helicopters that they have for sale @ £150K. Are my neighbours like to complain to the council about the noise of the engines during take off?
Sea King, MK 4 Helicopter, #77744 - MOD Sales, Military Vehicles & Used Ex MOD Land Rovers for Sale
Probably more complaints on your landings..........Quote:
Originally Posted by Flying10uk
being sudden and unpredictable....?Quote:
Originally Posted by bigduke6
A friend of mine (finally?) finished his Bren carrier this spring...truly a labour of love/hate from a bog recovery to something "useful".
Thats bad luck BD6 it was only that piece of wood near the road wheel that gave the game away you (the officers wanted it for their pot belly stove) should have said it was for the kitchen fire at home.
I saw a Chieftain Tk for sale a while ago $60,000 which I thought was a steel!
Somewhere local?Quote:
Originally Posted by Lee Enfield
Buried Mk 1 Bren carrier restoration - MLU FORUMQuote:
Originally Posted by browningautorifle
Buried Mk 1 Bren carrier restoration - Page 2 - MLU FORUM
I'd be right there beside you diggin' too...
while I wasn't one of the diggers, I seem to have met them before... ;-)Quote:
Originally Posted by browningautorifle
It occurs to me very often these days, that had I had a big enough aircraft hangar, I could have stored many of these everyday items back in the day, that are now worth an absolute fortune.
But blessed with that 20/20 vision and hindsight as to what to keep!!
When you compare those farmers and liberated people in European countries at the end of the war who had nothing.........they soon learnt to squander the Military hardware in back barns and farm yards etc before the Allied clear up boys got on the job. Clearly the odd tank or armoured car or hundreds of 4T or Bren chests were just kept for a rainy day, with noone around to object to a clearup!! ;)
I saw a show just recently on the Temora airshow just a blurb about the Spitfire they said one would set you back $4 million now days if you wanted one when you think what they cost in 1939-1945 coupled with their service life expectancy who would have known then that they would create such a legacy in today's world.....
Somewhere I have or have seen a photograph of a U.S. military aircraft being blown up in the U.K. at the end of WW2 because it was considered the simplest method of disposing of a surplus aircraft rather than shipping it back to the States or dismantling it in the conventional manner.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gil Boyd
Amazing whats buried underground...........ahhhhh..just realised, don't anyone mention 45 Spitfires buried in crates in Burma either, we've done that to death :lol::lol:
Possibly there are and unless we excavate the whole of Burma to a depth of perhaps 5 metres we can't be absolutely sure that there defiantly is not. The Burmese people and government may not be quite so enthusiastic about such a thorough search.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gil Boyd
Isn't Peter back yet from his metal detecting of that area!!!!!:madsmile::confused:
I was told a bit of a different story by a flight surgeon that was on an airfield at VE day...he stated the aircrews went out with sledge hammers and axes and started bashing the aircraft to bits. By day's end they were just penny bits. Then the men loaded on trucks and headed off to seaports.Quote:
Originally Posted by Flying10uk
I do have or did have a photograph of a aircraft being blown up by the U.S. military in order to dispose of it at the end of the war. It was in a military magazine.
One thing that was in abundance at the end of WW2 was Army push bikes or WD bikes, my dad used to work for a bloke who bought ex surplus and reconditioned it, the bikes were all stripped sanded and repainted then rebuilt............ and punted out for a reasonable profit, pretty much the same as any other means of transport at that time I guess, but the bloke not only bought few hundred bikes he bought a load of spares too...... obvious worth a few ££ now and the Para folding one you won't get much change out of £1000.
On the subject of ex WD vehicles went to see another Motor Bike last week, a Royal Enfield WD/C it had been civilinised I guess at the end of the War, It wasn't complete and didn't need a lot to complete it but it did require a lot of hours to get it back to how it was early 1940/41............
Still thinking about it........ but I did walk away with a nice set of crank cases for the Matchless and made a new contact in the old british bike world.......
I don't doubt they did that...Quote:
Originally Posted by Flying10uk
Seems to me Peter would have that...Cinders too matter of fact.Quote:
Originally Posted by bigduke6
One of the things that my father use to buy as army surplus in the 1950's or 60's was tins of surplus paint but only one colour seemed to be available, I believe, bronze green. He didn't specifically want to paint lots of things bronze green but it was good quality paint being sold off at a good price. I still have one one of the tins with a little paint left in on the shelf. Why so much bronze green paint came to be sold off I don't know but perhaps a large quantity was ordered for the army shortly before it was decided that they should use a different shade of green?