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was replaced, in the civilian VLRs, by a more conventional (for the time and vehicle's size) 12-volt electrical system. The VLR's civil-market price of above one and a half million francs was considered expensive (though much lower than the prices asked for the company's luxury passenger cars), and its mechanical complexity made it an unattractive proposition other than for rich owner-mechanics. It is worth bearing in mind that in the aftermath of a massive
European war there were at this time a large number of second-hand Jeeps competing for the attention of anyone thinking to buy a civilian version of a VRC. Almost all of the 9,621 VLRs sold between 1951 and 1955 were accordingly sold to the military. Production was halted in March 1954, but vehicles were still being delivered in 1955.
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The army were impressed by the performance of the vehicle both on and off-road, and the company was encouraged to try to sell VLRs into the civilian market. Civilian-market models were hard to distinguish from the military ones, but the 24-volt electrical system upon which the military had insisted
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The mechanical complexity of the vehicle, which excited much comment in the press and was blamed for its lack of sales success on the civilian market, was not seen as a problem by the army. In perfect conditions and when well maintained, the VLR performed admirably, but in real-world conditions it
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during the Summer of 1950. At a time when the luxury car market had been driven into freefall by a combination of government taxation policy and the depressed state of the postwar economy, the VLR was critical in keeping alive the company that produced it during the early 1950s.
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was very unreliable and they were also frequently crashed by undertrained drivers. Many VLRs had the differential locks removed, as these were often blamed for crashes. Nevertheless, by the mid-1950s the army had switched to the mechanically simpler
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The vehicle featured a light metal ohc four-cylinder water-cooled engine of (initially) 1,992 cc and, by the standards of the time, a sophisticated suspension system. The four-speed gearbox featured synchromesh on all forward gears.
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tested it extensively and declared themselves impressed. With only very minor modifications, they homologated the VLR for army use and placed an order for slightly more than 4,000. The company's main postwar production automobile, the
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329:. The Delahaye business itself was taken over by Hotchkiss in 1954, after which VLR production seems to have been quickly stopped.
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Bellu, René, ed. (2002). "Toutes les voitures françaises 1954 (Salon 1953)".
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Bellu, René, ed. (2000). "Toutes les voitures françaises 1953 (Salon 1952)".
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83.7 mm Ă— 90.5 mm (3.30 in Ă— 3.56 in)
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was a four-wheel-drive passenger vehicle clearly inspired by the
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The military version as used by the French Army during the 1950s
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and first presented, after an unusually long gestation, by
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284:(light reconnaissance vehicle). The name "VLRD" (
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388:3,410–3,460 mm (134.3–136.2 in)
356:1,360–1,460 kg (2,998–3,219 lb)
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286:Véhicule léger de reconnaissance Delahaye
106:Learn how and when to remove this message
546:. Paris: Histoire & collections: 27.
524:. Paris: Histoire & collections: 23.
380:1,570–1,630 mm (61.8–64.2 in)
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372:750 kg (1,653 lb) (unbraked)
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321:, then being assembled in France by
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300:During the second half of 1950 the
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157:(Véhicule léger de reconnaissance)
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454:Four-stroke, 4-cylinder in-line,
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566:Andy's French Military Jeep Site
401:Height (roof down, screen down)
282:Véhicule léger de reconnaissance
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605:Military light utility vehicles
31:needs additional citations for
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414:2,150 mm (84.6 in)
404:1,430 mm (56.3 in)
396:1,860 mm (73.2 in)
258:1,360 kg (3,000 lb)
422:105 km/h (65 mph)
348:Technical Data Delahaye VLR
325:under Willys license as the
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610:Military vehicles of France
446:600 mm (23.6 in)
430:340 mm (13.4 in)
232:3,410 mm (134 in)
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364:400 kg (882 lb)
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615:Cars introduced in 1951
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562:"Delahaye Jeep Story"
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40:improve this article
369:Max trailer weight
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600:Off-road vehicles
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427:Ground clearance
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55:"Delahaye VLR"
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29:This article
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570:the original
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307:Delahaye 175
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266:Delahaye VLR
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211:Transmission
195:Front engine
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143:Manufacturer
124:Delahaye VLR
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38:Please help
33:verification
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540:Automobilia
518:Automobilia
302:French army
292:Development
584:Categories
490:References
419:Top speed
224:Dimensions
205:Powertrain
163:Production
96:March 2019
66:newspapers
435:Max tilt
410:Wheelbase
361:Max load
323:Hotchkiss
166:1951–1954
465:1,992 cc
274:Delahaye
181:On- and
147:Delahaye
138:Overview
385:Length
80:scholar
480:Seats
472:Power
451:Motor
377:Width
245:Height
229:Length
217:manual
190:Layout
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237:Width
177:Class
87:JSTOR
73:books
438:70%
319:Jeep
270:Jeep
264:The
59:news
456:OHV
42:by
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