Details of Cars

Alvis Salamander: the six-wheel-drive airfield crash tender of 1956

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Alvis Mk 6 Salamander crash tender at the RAF Museum London
Alvis Mk 6 Salamander at the RAF Museum London. Photo by The wub, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The Alvis Salamander is a six-wheel-drive airport crash tender with off-road capabilities, developed in 1956. It shares the Alvis six-wheel-drive chassis and many components with the FV601 Saladin armoured car and the FV603 Saracen armoured personnel carrier, and it led to the FV620 Stalwart load carrier.

Alvis Salamander at a glance

Alvis Salamander key specifications
Developed 1956
Drive six-wheel drive, off-road capable
Engine Rolls-Royce B81 straight-eight, 6,515 cc
Power and torque 211 bhp (157 kW) at 4,000 rpm; 340 lb·ft (461 N·m) at 2,500 rpm
Fire equipment by The Pyrene Company; 7,500 gallons of foam per minute
Crew 6
Built 125, for the Royal Air Force (Alvis Salamander/Pyrene Mark 6) and the Royal Canadian Air Force
Replaced by vehicles such as the Thornycroft Nubian Pyrene Mark 7, from the late 1970s

This page is based on English Wikipedia only, so the figures could not be cross-checked against a second source.

History of the Alvis Salamander

The Salamander uses the same common Alvis six-wheel-drive chassis and other components as the Saladin and the Saracen; in turn it led to the Stalwart load carrier, which was derived from it. The firefighting equipment was provided by The Pyrene Company Limited. The vehicle carries a crew of six.

Alvis Mk.6 Salamander six-wheel crash truck
Alvis Mk.6 Salamander. Photo by Hugh Llewelyn from Keynsham, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

One hundred and twenty-five Salamanders were built and used by the Royal Air Force, as the Alvis Salamander/Pyrene Mark 6, and by the Royal Canadian Air Force. From the late 1970s on they were replaced by vehicles like the Thornycroft Nubian Pyrene Mark 7.

Design and features

  • Drive: six-wheel drive for use on unprepared ground around airfields.
  • Firefighting: foam production of 7,500 gallons per minute.

Alvis Salamander versions

  • Salamander/Pyrene Mark 6: the RAF crash tender.

More Alvis vehicles are in our Alvis collection, for example the Saladin, the Saracen and the Stalwart.

Alvis Salamander questions and answers

What is the Alvis Salamander?

A six-wheel-drive airport crash tender developed in 1956.

How many were built?

125, for the RAF and the Royal Canadian Air Force.

What engine does it have?

A 6.5-litre Rolls-Royce B81 straight-eight with 211 bhp.

What was derived from it?

The FV620 Stalwart load carrier.

Sources

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