4x4s.org NAMED MODEL · 1938–40
NAMED MODELMilitary · United KingdomUnited Kingdom

Carrier, Bren No. 2, Marks I and II

The carrier that gave the whole family its popular name: three crew, armour on the front and left-hand side only, and a Bren light machine gun or Boys anti-tank rifle.

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Sources & evidence
Carrier, Bren No. 2, Marks I and II — Carrier, Bren, No. 2, Mark I.Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain ↗
BASE VEHICLEMachine-gun, Bren and Scout carriers (1936–40)BUILT BYVickers-Armstrongs, Thornycroft, Basingstoke, Sentinel Waggon Works, Shrewsbury, Aveling-Barford, Grantham, Ford of Britain, Dagenham, Morris Motors, CowleyIN SERVICE1938–40OPERATED INUnited KingdomPRODUCTIONNot published separatelyLAYOUT4 wheels

The record

Ten Bren carriers went to each infantry battalion of the British Expeditionary Force in 1939–40. The name stuck to every later carrier, the Universal included, and in Australia and New Zealand the Universal was still commonly called the Bren carrier.

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

Specification

MANUFACTURERVickers-Armstrongs ↗, Thornycroft, Basingstoke ↗, Sentinel Waggon Works, Shrewsbury ↗, Aveling-Barford, Grantham ↗, Ford of Britain, Dagenham ↗, Morris Motors, Cowley ↗
design; built by Aveling-Barford, Ford of Britain, Morris Motors, Sentinel Waggon Works and Thornycroft
MANUFACTUREDPre-war to 1940
ENGINEFord flathead V8 petrol, 239 cu in (3.9 L), 85 hp at 3,500 rpmFord flathead V8
PRODUCTION RUNNot published separately
COUNTRY OF ORIGINUnited Kingdom
OPERATED INUnited Kingdom
STATUSout of production
RECORD KINDNamed model
MODEL LINEBren and Scout carriers
FAMILYBren and Scout carriers
WHEELS4
BODY STYLEopen
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

  • Khaki Green No. 3
  • Service Colour Standard brown
  • Light Stone
  • Portland Stone

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. 1Universal Carrier ↗Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-24SOURCE

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