As a young child I liked making models, and one, in particular, always stood out for me. It was a Tamyia 1/35^th Scale Long Wheelbase Series 2a Land Rover. In Pink. The SAS were already iconic to me following the Iranian Embassy siege, and to find out they had an awesome Land Rover too was just exciting. I loved all the details of the equipment that were part of the model from the side mounted sand ladders to the smoke grenade launchers at each corner. Each Pink Panther started out in life as a regular Series 2a Suffix D built in 1968. They were powered by the same 2 ¼ litre petrol engine as the regular models and power went to all four wheels via a 4 speed manual and two speed transfer box with selectable four-wheel drive. The suspension was uprated to help manage the extra weight of a fully laden Pinkie and larger 9.00 tyres were fitted. For the Desert sand conditions 9.00 x R15 Dunlop Sand Tyres were fitted, but most use 9.00 x R16 Bar Grips these days. All Pinkies had a 12v electrical system rather than the 24v system found in other military Land Rovers.

Above – This example is fitted with the Dunlop Sand Tyres that were fitted during desert operations. Note the substantial protection plate on the front axle.

Marshalls of Cambridge were given the contract to modify the vehicles, so 72 examples were dispatched, and the modifications began. The pink Panther only had seating for 3, these being the Driver, Navigator / Front gunner and Rear gunner. The rear seat is rear facing and is fitted between two additional 40-gallon fuel tanks. All the glass was removed, as were the doors. The keen eyed amongst you will also notice that there are no flaps in the bulkhead. The bulkhead was cut down to reduce the side silhouette of the vehicle. When they left the factory all the Land Rovers were Bronze green, but many were painted pink as this made them harder to spot in the desert conditions. Later in life some were painted with green and black camouflage and did service in Northern Ireland, but it was Oman, Yemen and other middle eastern locations where they made a name for themselves.

Below – Not all Pink Panthers are Pink, this one more that likely did service in Norther Ireland.

The front bumper was modified to allow the fitting of the spare wheel on a central bracket. At each corner a trio of smoke grenades are fitted too as well as additional towing eyes. Fitted to each front wing was a holder to store the then standard issue, SLR rifle. On the wing tops you would see a pair of shovels on one side and a tripod for a theodolite on the other. Sitting where the doors once were, were two 20 litre plastic water containers.

In the front cockpit, the passenger seat was raised to help the gunners visibility, and at his disposal was a 7.62mm GPMG whose mounting bracket extended through the bulkhead, footwells and attached to the chassis for strength. To aid navigation there was a sun compass and a spotlight to help when it got dark. Under the centrally mounted dials are the four buttons to operate the smoke grenades. Between the two front seats there is a radio pack fitted to aid communications back to Hereford HQ.

As you moved towards the rear, the sides were dominated by two sand ladders, once each side. In the rear we got that single seat and a floor mounted gun mount. The rear gun had differing options and could be fitted with the same 7.62 GPMG per the front, a 0.50 Calibre weapon or an 84mm Carl Gustav recoilless rifle for anti-tank capabilities. The rear tailgate was always laid flat, with strengthening brackets, and had a canvas cover to give additional storage. Talking of additional storage, you will see bergens and other canvas bagging hanging from just about every available place. This storage would carry spare, tools, ammunition, supplies and first aid equipment in order for the crew to be self sufficient for days.

Although the Pinkie was released from the military many years ago, they do have a strong following with Land Rover and military enthusiasts alike. It is not uncommon for one or two to turn up at events through out the year, and when they do, they always attract a lot of attention. I mean, I wasn’t the only one to build models when I was a child.