Asuka model 24-005 American Bantam

The Bantam BRC is an American off-road passenger car from the Second World War. The first copies of this car appeared in 1940, and serial production was carried out intermittently in 1940-1943. The car was powered by a single 4-cylinder engine with a capacity of 1.8 liters and 48 HP.

The Bantam BRC was commissioned by the US armed forces, which in 1940 reported a need for a new, lightweight all-terrain vehicle with a load capacity of up to 250 kilograms and all-wheel drive. The United States Department of War imposed an insanely short time to develop a prototype for a new car - only 49 days. However, the Bantam company based in Butler, Pennsylvania, was up to the task. Moreover, the vehicle constructed in such a short time turned out to be very successful: it had great off-road properties, good performance and was able to carry the load of 250 kilograms assumed from the beginning. Serial production was launched very quickly, and the main model produced was the BRC-40 version. Approximately 2,600 cars of this type were produced during it, but they were mainly produced for export: to Great Britain, the USSR and Yugoslavia. This was due to the fact that the US Army was equipped with the Willys Jeep MB as the basic off-road vehicle, which was clearly based on the Bantam BRC design.