Articulated General-Purpose Logistical Truck, or AGL-4

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Articulated General-Purpose Logistical Truck, or AGL-4

CORVAIR POWERED ALL TERRAIN 4X4 VEHICLE AGL-4...

Meet the Articulated General-Purpose Logistical Truck, or AGL-4, a product proudly presented by GM Defense Research Laboratories. When you turn the steering wheel, its 44-inch tires move with the cab, instead of independently. Its front cab articulates left, right and sideways over rough terrain. It can climb moguls and uneven steps with a shimmy of its bed, maintaining "constant ground loading at all times." It can carry 10 brave souls over hill and dale, across 5-foot ditches and around a 30-degree banking without a single man rag-dolling out the side or losing his lunch.

Ah, the 1960s: when you could carry some dudes in the bed of your truck and not look like you're en route to a civil war! Take it to Brooklands with a Weedwacking crew: It's time to perform some banking maintenance. Take it to your banana republic of choice, or head to your nearest Banana Republic--military coups have never looked so retrofuturistic.

The AGL-4's greatest feature is a literal parting trick: Undo a few bolts between the cab and the bed, disconnect the 4x4 driveshaft, fold down some training wheels, and the cab can toddle away on its own at a goofy angle, its operator aimed skyward, blinded by the glare of the sun. He might get a nosebleed. The sight of the AGL-4 cab monster trucking around town, like a one-man freak parade, might prove to be too scandalous even for the hippies who lined the streets of Santa Barbara, Calif.--before they were all driven out by the same square meanies who axed the AGL-4!

In actuality, GM built the AGL-4 as a study for future agricultural equipment or, inevitably, as a supremely versatile military runabout. (Don't call it a Gama Goat; that was built by Ling-Temco-Vought of A-7 Corsair II fame, which "bears an uncanny resemblance to a drainage pipe with wings." Hey, that's mean.) The farmer of tomorrow could buy an AGL-4 and multiple beds and hook up different payloads without having to unload anything (if unhooking didn't become its own sort of hassle, that is).

As demonstrated by the video, its versatility makes a GMC of the same vintage look like a stick in the mud. Its air-cooled Corvair pancake engine would be easy to repair when you're surrounded by guerilla fighters or mud. And, ultimately, watching it sashay around with its rear end bouncing up and down like a Carnivale dancer is equal parts mesmerizing and hilarious. That is so silly, you think. Then you actually think about how effective it is.

There's no word on the AGL-4's ultimate fate. It might have been crushed, as typical of most proof-of-concepts; no sense in keeping around what amounts to a bizarre science experiment. But I hope there's an automotive heaven somewhere (or a secret Woodward Avenue basement) where the AGL-4 will boogie on down the road.

The Corvair may have been “unsafe at any speed” for some, but to many automotive enthusiasts, it was an engineering tour de force that exemplified everything that was right with General Motors–unconventional motor and suspension in an unconventional market niche for a thoroughly conventional America. This also was true for the Corvair 95 (aka Corvan), a forward-control vehicle that joined the Corvair passenger car in its second year. It also served as the springboard for the AGL-4, an experimental truck developed by General Motors in the early/mid-1960s.

The AGL-4 (Articulated General-Purpose Logistical Truck–think “agile”) video above was produced by General Motors Defense Research Laboratories in Santa Barbara, CA. A Marine Corp air station, National Reserve center, Camp Cook, and Vandenberg Air Force Base were in the vicinity, so it stood to reason that this Corvair-powered all-terrain 4×4 was built for military plus agriculture use. Unlike the Corvair, its engine is in an unconventional place–it’s in the front, under the cab. Power was sent to Chevrolet’s two-speed Powerglide automatic and transmitted through a driveshaft that could be decoupled. Modular functionality allowed different beds to be interchanged, with an accessory dolly rig developed to support the cab when separated from the bed.

General Motors’ motivating objectives for the AGL-4 were utility, economy, and mobility. At 15 feet long, with 44-inch tires, and rated for a 1-1/4-ton payload, its versatility would have served itself well on both a farm and a military base, but GM decided to not pursue the AGL-4 for production. Like any experimental vehicle, the principles learned through this concept were likely applied later in subsequent vehicles that eventually reached production.

http://www.autoweek.com/article/2014...WS01/140319890
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2014/03/...uck-the-agl-4/