Big Picture Text and Photograph by Simon Brown
6.5 litre Rolls Royce gas engine driving its six oversize wheels produced exceptional off-road performance. In the water its propulsion was not dissimilar from a jet ski, with vectored thrusters moving it about at up to six knots. An off road champion, it was not so effective on ordinary tarmac. Without a differential this kind of flat surface, higher speed driving resulted in snapped drive shafts and damaged gearboxes. Still, it remained in service until the early 1990s when the military’s diesel-only fuel policy and a preference for helicopter resupply ended its usefulness. A few Stollies survive in the collections of the private and, we assume, the well-to-do, given its five miles to the gallon fuel economy and seriously expensive repair bills. This Stollie thrills divers in its watery home 50 feet (15m) deep in the National Diving and Activity Centre near Chepstow, England.
10 Magazine
Amphibian T
‘Stollie’ is right at home in retirement
he Alvis Stalwart, affectionately known as the ‘Stollie’, was a six-wheel drive amphibious vehicle designed to deliver five tonnes of ammo to front line artillery positions, or any cargo for that matter, over pretty much any terrain, land or water. The
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