[Hanno Spoelstra]

As you may have read, Mike Ebeling has passed away recently. He restored and owned quite a number of vehicles, two of which remain. As Mike has always been a fan of Commonwealth vehicles, I've offered his son Mark to advertise them on MLU Forum.

Mark is open to offers. If you are seriously interested, please contact Mark by email. Please let him know you saw it here.

Here's the first Ford:


1942 Ford WOA2 Heavy Utility Car

85-bhp V8, two wheel drive

The WOA2 was introduced into service in May 1941. Production stopped in July 1944. A post-war document prepared in 1950 by HMSO entitled, “Report on the Motor Industry,” states Ford built 9,059 of these vehicles alone. Some sources claim that the production of the WOA2 between May 1941 and July 1944 was as low as 5,000 vehicles. These vehicles were never armed and carried no weapons apart from passengers’ personal firearms.
The WOA 2 was an acronym and apparently stood for: W=War Office; O=1940; A=Passenger vehicle and 2 identified the period of the Second World War. The WOA2 had a 4x2 drive. The British Army, the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy used the vehicle as a staff car and command car. A variant known as the WOA2/A used 6.50-16 tires on standard road wheels. Production of this version started in December 1945 and continued until 1947.
Weighing 3,555 pounds the vehicle fell into the category of “Heavy Utility” and was produced in an all-steel version with a hard top. A roof rack could be fitted to allow additional cargo to be carried such as tents when on campaign.
A second version with a canvas soft-top was also produced and this was known as a “Tourer.” This version was used during the North African campaign, and Commonwealth troops, such as the Australians, also had this version available to them.
The vehicle had a long bonnet (hood) that gave access to the engine for relatively easy maintenance and servicing in the field. Headlights were fitted and during the war these were masked with covers for the ‘black-out’ conditions. Suspension was transversal semi-elliptical leaf-spring type, the brakes were mechanical and the electrical system was six-volt supply.
The WOA2 was fitted with a Ford V8, water-cooled petrol (gasoline) engine which developed 85 HP at 3600RPM to give a top speed of 56 mph on roads. A three-speed gear box was fitted which also provided reversing gear. The fuel tank had a capacity of 12.5 gallons with the filling point located on the left hand side of the vehicle at the rear. Fuel consumption depended on road speed and conditions but an average figure of 3.7 gallons per 62 miles would give a maximum operational range of around 208 miles on one full tank.
The WOA2 measured 14 feet and five inches in length, six feet and three inches in width and five feet and ten inches in height. The actual wheelbase was 108.25 inches (9 feet and a quarter inch) and ground clearance was 8.5 inches. It was fitted with a large one-piece windscreen which provided good visibility. It was a right hand drive and two doors fitted either side and the interior was quite spacious. Behind the front seats were folding tables which could be used for writing and the rear seats could be folded down to provide extra storage space. These features were in common with other similar Heavy Utility vehicles such as the Humber.
The spare tire was carried fitted to the rear access hatch which was split to allow the portions to be folded up and down. It would appear from wartime photographs that some WOA2s had roofs which could be opened.
Besides the driver, the vehicle could carry up to five passengers and used for liaison duties and as command vehicles. Some vehicles were equipped with radio sets and used as communications vehicles seeing service in Europe after D-Day in June 1944 and accompanying units as they advanced into Germany in March 1944.

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