4×4S.ORGTHE REGISTRY NAMED MODEL · 1969–93
NAMED MODELMilitary · United KingdomUnited Kingdom

Saracen in Northern Ireland.

The Saracen with the British Army in Northern Ireland, alongside the Humber Pig.

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Sources & evidence
Saracen in Northern Ireland — The FV603 Saracen is a six-wheeled armoured personnel carrier built by Alvis and used by the British Army. It became a recognisable vehicle as a result of its pTomás Del Coro from Las Vegas, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0 ↗
BASE VEHICLESaracen (FV603, 1952–76)BUILT BYAlvis, CoventryIN SERVICE1969–93PRODUCTIONNot published separatelyLAYOUT6 wheels

The record

Where the Pig was a lightly armoured truck, the Saracen was a proper personnel carrier on six driven wheels; both became part of the visual record of the troubles.

Specification

MANUFACTURED1969–93
ENGINERolls-Royce B80 petrol eight, 160 hpRolls-Royce B80
PRODUCTION RUNNot published separately
COUNTRY OF ORIGINUnited Kingdom
STATUSout of service
RECORD KINDNamed model
MODEL LINEFV600
FAMILYFV600
WHEELS6
BODY STYLEapc
CATEGORYMilitary · United Kingdom

Catalogue fields describe the vehicle's structure and body as this registry records it. They are not certified factory measurements, and no performance figures are published here.

Variants & colours

Base model variants

Factory colours

  • Deep Bronze Green

Codes on hover. Hex values are representative approximations of period paint unless a source states a measured value.

AI rendering impression

An AI rendering impression starts from a 3D model of this vehicle, which an image model then paints into a scene. It is an artist's impression of the type, made to give a feel for the vehicle in its element — not a photograph, and not a record of any particular vehicle.

Proportions, fittings, markings, colours and the setting can all drift from the original in the process. For the vehicle's actual details, rely on the specification, the photographs and the cited sources on this page.

Sources

  1. 1Alvis Saracen ↗Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-23SOURCE

Registry record updated 2026-09-23 · status: researched