GMC 4x4 Amphi Truck

The GMC 4x4 Amphi Truck looks much like the wartime DUKW but runs on only four wheels instead of six. A surviving example was bought in Austria in 2014 by a German owner, who reported that it has right-hand steering and a driveline and axles different from the DUKW's, and that there is no sign of the hull or frame having been shortened from a six-wheeler: it appears to be an original 4x4.

History

The seller told the owner that it was one of three built in the 1940s and that it had landed in Italy during the Second World War, later being painted red and used by an Italian fire brigade. The winch is driven directly from the main gearbox.

In a forum discussion in 2014-2015, Dutch amphibian enthusiasts suggested that the axles came from the Canadian Military Pattern (CMP) trucks, which would explain the right-hand drive. One contributor noted that Chevrolet-built CMP trucks used banjo-type axles and the GMC 270 inline six, the engine fitted to this vehicle, so a Canadian connection seemed plausible. The archive owner attributes the vehicle to the GMC division of General Motors, still known as Yellow Truck and Coach early in the war.