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Hi my name is John I live in Northern Ireland and am trying to find out about Unimogs brought into India during the 1950's. It is well known that Tata sent representitives to Mercedes during 1954 and 1956 looking at cars, trucks and four wheel drive vehicles. They looked at the then new Unimog 411, extensively test drove it and one, possibly three were, brought to India for evaluation by the Army. Ultimately the Army decided they wanted capacity to move tonnage on roads rather than a low tonnage vehicle that could and would go anywhere. Without a military contract it was not economically viable to import or locally construct Complete Knock Down kits of an expensive vehicle in India.

What is less well know is Tata also looked at the experimental Unimog 405SH chassis this was a rear engined version of the just in production petrol 404S 1.5T truck. The 405SH used many of the 404S components including the engine, gearbox, axles, electrical systems and many small parts. On a part by part count 92% of the parts were interchangable. The 405SH chassis was designed to be used as a basis for armoured cars.



A Unimog 405SH with prototype Ruhr steel body beside a Unimog 404

Unimog dispatch records show that six 405SH chassis were dispatched to Tata, Bombay for onward transfer to Jamshedpur railway workshop between June and August 1956. These would have been supplied as a basic chassis with no body for completion locally. Nothing has ever been heard or seen of these chassis since!!





Basic early 405SH chassis and "production" chassis. Note the engine at the rear, fuel tanks (2) and sloped steering wheel on the production chassis to enable the armour to be angled and provide more interior space.



The 405SH chassis would have been ideal to modernise the Tatanagar or Indian Pattern Armoured car (photo above) that had previously been in production at the railway workshop?? And I believe the Army were at this time trying to get more capable Armoured Personnel Cars?

Over a four year period i have identified a total of 35 405SH chassis were built by Unimog so they are remarkably rare. So far I have tracked down 7 still in existence, the rest having been destroyed in conflict in the Congo, used as range practice targets for missiles in Ireland or just disappeared as the Indian ones have.

I am looking for any information that anyone might have as to what happened to the Indian 405SH's. Were they used as a basis for an Armoured car that was never produced or just scrapped after many miles of test runs and abuse?





My interest in this subject stems from the fact that I have acquired a 405SH with a Landsverk APC body and am slowly rebuilding it. It is probably the only 405SH in the world with a working engine and I hope to have it finished in about 2 years. I therefore have a great interest in this obscure vehicle.



Any help or leads or photos would be appreciated. please:

Thanks

J :)

John, here a few for you from the Mercedes-Benz Public Archives.

India, 1961

Some threads on Unimogs in India:

Adventures of Moggy

My Unimog

2 Unimogs

Another Unimog

And there are more pics shared by Harit here:




Lots of posts on that link about the Unimogs too:

Thanks for the replies and the very interesting pictures. I have read most of the threads mentioned above over the last few days and they are quite informative. If anyone comes across any information on the rear engined 405SH in India please let me know.

Thanks

j

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