Hotchkiss M201

The Hotchkiss M201 was the standard light transport vehicle used by the French army from shortly after the war until well into the 1980s. It started as a World War II Jeep built under license and in many respects was little changed forty years later. In France it is usually simply called “La Jeep”.

Description

The M201 employed a simple conventional structure, designed around a light metal frame with two rigid axles suspended on leaf springs. The 4-cylinder in-line engine (known in some quarters as the Willys Go Devil engine) was positioned at the front and the gear box, alongside the torque splitter, was in the middle of the vehicle alongside the driver. There was no roof and there were no doors. The standard version provided seating for four and an open load area at the back. The windscreen could be folded forward over the engine hood/bonnet.

For road use the rear axle was driven, power being switchable also to the front axle for off-road use. The gear box provided three forward speeds and one reverse speed for road use, and for off-road use a lower “crawler” ratio was available. There was no limited slip differential but the vehicle’s light weight and the available gearing nevertheless provided excellent off-road capability.