TIP of the SPEAR

Known for their speed and agility, the French Panhard ERC-90s were highly effective armoured reconnaissance vehicles. Barrimore England-Davis tells us about his opportune purchase of one

The 90mm (rifled barrel in this case), is a very long gun to be mindful of when driving

The front of the hull is boat-shaped for entry into water, and the side ‘bins’ are sealed steel and aluminium boxes to aid floatation

A while ago I helped the Household Cavalry Regiment with the restoration of their French-made Argentine Panhard AML90. It was intended to be revealed to mark the 40th anniversary of the end of the Falklands War.

While sourcing parts for the restoration, I struck up a relationship with a French company specialising in upgrading older military vehicles. Prices of the Panhard parts were high and with the regimental budget already stretched, the project metamorphosised from a full-on restoration to a cosmetic and structural ‘stabilisation’, and the AML was returned to being a static gate guardian after a tour of the UK.