Italeri 6603 Italian armored car Autoblinda AB 43 1/48

Autoblinda AB 40/41/43 are Italian armored cars from World War II. The first prototypes of the AB 40 version were built in 1939, and serial production was carried out in 1940-1943. In total, about 550 AB 40/41/43 series cars were manufactured. Autoblinda AB 40 was powered by a single 80 HP SPA Abm carburetor engine. The vehicle was armed with 3 Breda mod. 38 cal. 8 mm.

Autoblinda AB 40 was created in response to the Italian army's need for a new armored car. The SPA and Ansaldo companies, which received the contract for the construction of new vehicles, used many technical innovations, not previously used in the Italian army: first of all, all-wheel drive, the ability to steer each wheel, steering at the front and rear of the vehicle, as well as the ability to lower the steam. wheels placed in the center of the fuselage while driving. Three variants of the Autoblind cars were produced in the course of serial production. The first was the AB 40. The second was the AB 41 version with a more powerful 120 HP engine and armament consisting of the Breda mod. 35 cal. 20 mm and 2 machine guns. The last development version, created in 1943 just before the Italian surrender, was the AB 43 armed with a 47mm cannon, 2 machine guns, as well as with reinforced armor. The Autoblinda series armored cars were intensively used by the Italian army in 1940-1943, especially during the fighting in North Africa (1940-1943) and in Sicily in 1943.