Skut # 04 - Howie "Belly Flopper"

[Skut]

What's this for 1 point.

[Skut]

Experts

[Skut]

Up to the pros 

[Wendax]

Looks like the 1937 Belly Flopper, built by Major Robert Howie and Master Sergeant Melvin C. Wiley

[Skut]

It is indeed.   1 point for you.     Surprised its not been used a puzzle before. Interesting little vehicle. 

[Djetset]

What a strange device! Is this how the 'vehicle' was meant to be, or do you know if it was ever planned to be finished off with bodywork, and perhaps a steering system?!

[Skut]

Yes that's the complete vehicle.  The idea was that it was driven laying down lowering its profile and rendering it less likely to be hit by enemy fire.   Its largely based on An American Austin.   Off road performance was limited however by lack of ground clearance. It has a steering system but I'm not sure how it worked exactly.

[Djetset]

Thank you for the extra information and photo Skut. It's even stranger than I thought!

Is there any chance you can include the vehicle's name in the Solved title heading please, as this makes future searching and the records much easier. Thanks 

[nicanary]

What appears to be a handbrake is connected to the gearbox by a flexible linkage, so I suspect is the gearchange mechanism, and therefore the tiller is possibly the steering device. It all looks a bit crude, and unlikely to work effectively in a battlefield situation. The radiator is a prime target.