Autoblindo 40 The Autoblindo 40 was built in small numbers in 1940. Armament consisted of two 8 mm
machine guns in a turret. During production a need for heavier armament was envisioned and so the AB 40 was redesigned as the AB 41 which was the same vehicle except for a new turret with a 20 mm
Breda 20/65 mod.35 autocannon. Most of the 24 AB 40s that had been built were then converted to AB 41s.
Autoblindo 41 The Autoblindo 41 (named after its first year of production, 1941) was a further development of the machine gun armed AB 40. Made with an all-riveted construction, the AB 41 had
four-wheel drive and a
four wheel steering system that proved troublesome. This version was designated '
AB 41 Ferroviaria'''''. It had six forward gears and four reverse gears, with a driving position at the front and one in the rear, so two crew members were drivers. Overall the AB 40/41 family was well thought out, with a top speed of over 70 km/h (45 mph), good armour (15 mm on the front plates) and good road and cross-country performance, but there were some examples of poor detail design like difficult access to the powerplant, an unprotected fuel tank, one-man turret, exposed traverse gear and lack of an interior bulkhead separating the engine and crew compartments. Nevertheless, the AB 41 was considered a good vehicle and one of the best armoured cars of its era. Its chassis was later used as a basis for the
SPA-Viberti AS.42. About 550 vehicles were built in all.
Autoblindo 43 The Italians planned to upgrade the AB 41 with a
47 mm anti-tank gun as the AB 43, but those plans were disrupted by the
Armistice of Cassibile in September 1943. ==Combat history==