4x4s.org NAMED MODEL · 1980–98
NAMED MODELMilitary · South AfricaSouth AfricaGermany

SAMIL 50 Mk II

The second SAMIL 50: an enlarged bonnet over the water-cooled ADE 409N, a 9.5-litre five-cylinder diesel, a strengthened front axle and more South African components.

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Sources & evidence
BASE VEHICLESAMIL 50 (1979–98)BUILT BYTruckmakers, Rosslyn, Pretoria, Magirus-Deutz, UlmIN SERVICE1980–98OPERATED INSouth Africa, NamibiaPRODUCTIONNot publishedLAYOUT4 wheels · 193″

The record

As with the SAMIL 20, the Mk II replaced the air-cooled Deutz with an Atlantis Diesel Engines unit, and it carried the same range of bodies as the Mk I. Wikipedia's infobox describes the ADE 409N as an air-cooled V6, which contradicts both Military-Today and its own specification table; the Mk II engine is water-cooled.

Research status: draft — identification, dates or figures could not all be pinned down; the summary says what is unresolved.

Specification

MANUFACTURERTruckmakers, Rosslyn, Pretoria ↗, Magirus-Deutz, Ulm ↗
under licence from Magirus-Deutz
MANUFACTURED1980s–98
ENGINEADE 409N 9.5-litre five-cylinder water-cooled dieselADE 409N
PRODUCTION RUNNot published
COUNTRY OF ORIGINSouth Africa
OPERATED INSouth Africa, Namibia
STATUSout of production
RECORD KINDNamed model
MODEL LINE50
FAMILY50
WHEELS4
NOMINAL WHEELBASE193″
BODY STYLEcargo
CATEGORYMilitary · South Africa

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

  • Dark Earth

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. 1SAMIL 50 – General utility truck ↗Military-Today.com (archived 2007) · accessed 2026-09-24SOURCE
  2. 2SAMIL 50 ↗Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-24SOURCE
  3. 3SAMIL Trucks ↗WarHistory.org · accessed 2026-09-24SOURCE
  4. 4SAMIL work adds to R1bn since 2007 (13 September 2011) ↗defenceWeb · accessed 2026-09-24SOURCE

Registry record updated 2026-09-24 · status: draft