In the Spring of 1941, the British Purchasing Commission submitted specifications for medium and heavy armored cars under the Lend-Lease program which could be procured as quickly as possible. The T13 was considered to fill this need, as it was already under development at the time, but due to its questionable progress it was recommended that the medium and heavy armored cars be designed. These were designated as the T17 and T18, respectively.
Both Ford and General Motors' Chevrolet subdivision submitted designs to fit the specifications of the T17. Chevrolet's version was designated as the T17E1, and they were much more successful with their four-wheel design. The first pilot was delivered in March 1942 to Aberdeen and although several mechanical failures occurred, they could be easily fixed. A wooden mockup of the production model was completed June 1942 and the final version carried a crew of five, with a gross weight of 16 tons.
Like GM's T17, the turret was similar to that of the M22 Locust, but with reduced armor. It also carried two engines and they could either work together or independently. The T17E1 was never actually standardized, but it did meet the British requirements for a medium armored car, where it received the designation Staghound. A total of 2844 T17E1s were built from October 1942 through December 1943. Even though it was designed for the desert, it saw most of its use in Italy and France.
In World Of Tanks, the T17E1 Car itself is fairly unremarkable. However, it should stand as a great example of Armored Cars and how they should typically play: mediocre guns and armor, but incredible speed and maneuverability.
Guns: 37 mm Gun M6
Engines: Twin GMC, Series 270 (194 hp)
Turrets (Turret Armor (mm)): T17E1 (45/32/32)
Turrets (Turret Armor (mm)): T17E1 (45/32/32)
Suspensions/Alternate Hulls, Total Weight (metric tons): T17E1 (14.5)
Hull Armor (mm): 22/19/10
Top Speed: 89 km/h
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