Dear readers, there we are! I could no longer hold back the desire to give the right and deserved space to the unforgettable Fiat AR 76, the mythical "Campagnola", which from 1951 was the Italian off-road vehicle that saw the shift in our barracks of many generations of young people military strata.
But to know her better, let's take a leap back in history.
La Willys Does 4X4 remind you of something? I already hear your answers ...
In the historical filmmaking of World War II, but also in those that have for example Totò, Gassmann, Mastroianni or De Sica for example, it is not difficult to see a Willys, the American off-road, possibly still staring at the 5 tip of the US Army on the hood, was used by our carabinieri, firefighters and PS guards (pictured below).
Until 1951, the Italian institution employed the Willys inherited from the US Army at the end of the conflict, as our resources were all involved in reconstruction.
The Ministry of Defense in the 50 was aware of the undisputed qualities of the child Willys, but he well understood that this solution was momentary and that there was no native 4X4 in the country. A call for the creation of a similar vehicle was then issued Willys and with its operational features. The Fiat in Turin and the Alfa Romeo in Arese came out shortly afterwards with two winning projects, Fiat Campagnola and the Alfa 1900 M, the Alpha Matta.
La Campagnola he was more fortunate in the final evaluations, and I'm sorry that I wrote "luck", in fact Alpha Matta he had more than enough features to win the win, but for a number of reasons he preferred to opt for the Turin project. Giacosa. The crazy Alpha was nevertheless committed to the police.
Fiat then took the life Campagnola AR 51 that in that year was very similar to the only 4X4 vehicle reference that Italians could know, namely the American Willys.
AR 51, 59 and 76, the series that followed in the last century.
The 51 AR was equipped with a 1900 cc 63 cv gasoline engine with rods and rockers and with camshaft in the crankcase (as in the Fiat 127), and subsequently a diesel engine derived from the petrol engine and with 40 cv and modified type head Comet to encourage suction turbulence. To support this mechanics, he thought of a robust long-frame frame that was connected to the ground with independent suspensions. Its length did not go beyond the 3,7 meters, in short, a compromise between maneuverability and practicality. The weight of about 1300 pounds was around consumption at about 5 km / l.
Fiat also wanted to advertise its newborn and to arrange for the AR 51 the crossing of Africa, with the help of Paolo Butti who won the world record for completing the course in only 11 days (v.video).
Entrance to barracks
The debut in the barracks was a success, every department as you can imagine it had dozens - it was a vehicle for a team - that alternated between the Breda 51 the Fiat 626 and 508M and maybe many of us, in their drawers of memories, they have some faded photos that have remained alive and full of color in their own heart.
The crew consisted of military 4 on the rear benches, the head of the car and the driver.
The change was at 4 gears with reduced and only the synchronized II, III and IV. The rear differential was lockable with a safety sleeve that, in the event of failure to disengage, curved in the curve, specifically safeguarding the mechanics. Who knows how many have changed ...
116 Km / h was the top speed, but enthusiasts, as you can imagine, confirm that it became nearly inguitable considering weight, drum brakes and its "countryside" rather than road.
24 was power supply and 12 volt for the civilian series made this "lady" a very great mountaineer of meadows, hills and mulots and even muddy ground did not betray its specialty.
The wings, if the water did not reach the level of the batteries under the seats, were smoothly crossable even though the steering became very heavy.
But we get to the more "recent" memories: the restyling of '76
The new AR 76 is completely redesigned and no longer an Italian copy of the valid Willys, began to enter the barracks in the eighties bringing more or less with him the same technical operational characteristics that have characterized the AR51 project, however already very valid.
I really have many memories related to AR76 being of the '70 class. Let's look at some technical details together before moving on to departmental tasks.
The engine was brought to 1995 cc, a motor designed for schooling in Fiat models; only delivering 80 horses and the first series had 4 gears then passed to 5, always with the ability to use the shift lever to the reduced.
Two aluminum T-levers (remember them?) Were one for rear differential lock, the other for front-wheel drive that could also be done with the moving vehicle.
A success and an Italian reference in the Eastern countries was produced by the name Zastava. He participated in Paris Dakar in 82 with a Lancia Stratos V6 engine from 200 cv.
The boom of the 1980s also carried the name "Campagnola", in fact its outfits, as well as for the Armed Forces and institutions were appreciated by the municipalities for the version of gearboxes and dredgers but also from the Enel and Agip to drill the wells artesian.
The long-running version hard top was sometimes set up as an ambulance, while the 2.500 turbodiesel versions were often destined for firefighters and police, the latter possessing some even in an armored version.
His Holiness also had one, strictly white, but the curious thing is that it was chosen because thanks to the reduced gears, the Campagnola he could keep a manned speed during the ceremonies to a minimum and without jolts.
In addition to the advantages there was also some defect ...
In fact, its limitation in the off road was due mainly to the limited excursion of independent wheel suspension, while the historic Willys had the rigid bridge clearly much more adaptable to the extreme terrain.
Other notable problems with the AR76 were the cruise of the transmission joints, which by virtue of their inclination were easily cut off, but also the drum brakes which, when wet, were lengthy enough to hold the stops as its mass of 1700 chili.
The occupants on the 76 version had moved to 7 thanks to the front split seat for the cape machine, which had to sit alongside the window even for greeting the basque.
On the road, he traveled miles without any problems, even though the cold start had hovered for the first quarter of an hour: the cooling fan was in fact fixed to the rotation of the engine.
He had the tendency to overstate especially on low-adhesion bottoms, but he was well-behaved with due attention not to release the gas. Otherwise she closed on the front by putting on the other side.
A browning or Mg machine gun could be attached to the green rolled structure, as well as radio structures such as Pr5 and RW4 stations, and so on.
A glorious veteran
Specially painted in white, the Campagnola was the first vehicle along with the ACM and ACLs that after the Second World War were used on a mission in Beirut with ITALCON under the careful and professional command of General Angioni.
Let me in this regard give you an affectionate thought to the paratrooper brigade thunderbolt to which I am particularly attached, to the bersaglieri who at that time were enormously distinguished by receiving the well-deserved applause of other NATO forces and our former President Sandro Pertini.
The Massif brought the change late and was punished
Our sympathetic AR 76 however, in the 1990 had to wait for his well-deserved retirement, passing through an auxiliary period - so much to stay in the matter - and still performing secondary but downgraded services compared to the VM 90 that had been designated as a temporary substitute . Although Iveco had merged with the Astra of Piacenza already in 1986, the design of a new Fiat Campagnola he had to wait for the 2007, the year when Iveco launched the Italian jeep with no success Massif. An excellent project, a wonderful Italian engine and a great off-road, but very similar and licensed Land Rover, A brand for another now already known by our Armed Forces. There Massif so it is destined to live in the shadow of the current Land Rover twin Defender.
Our "self-trapping" of military vehicles is slowly widening, but there is still someone who will not be able to reach you next!
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(photo: web)
