Which Mighty-Mite? There were two manufacturers of the Mite.
The original developer of the Mite was the Mid-American Research
Corporation commonly referred to as MARCO. They produced about 10
prototypes starting in the early 1950's which used a German made Porsche
506 engine. Later American Motors (AMC) took over the project and
re-engined some of the MARCO Mites with it's own air cooled V-4 ohv
aluminum motor. This motor, designated model AV 108-4, was developed by
American Motors prior to 1959 and AMC saw the Mite as a perfect platform to
use it. All production M-422, M-422E1 and M-422A1 Mites used the US made
AMC motor.
There is a article on this engine in the February, 1959 issue (pg 97) of
Popular Science magazine.
The article states "American Motors is already producing some aluminum
engines for the armed services. They are V-4s with two banks of two
cylinders set at 90 degrees........." Along with the article is a photo of
two engineers holding a complete motor at waist level showing how light it
is (214 lbs).
Portrayal Press sells a good book that has info and lots of good
photos on the standard Mite and also on the MARCO Mite prototypes. It is
titled "Off-road Jeeps, 1944-1971 and sells for about $19.00 (catalog
#165-8144).
As for the Congressional Hearings, I have also heard of them. However,
I was told it was because the Mite's high cost. In 1960 they cost the USMC
over $5,000.00 each!!! That's big money for such a small vehicle with a
short production run. If anyone on the list knows where any info on the
hearings might be found I would ask they drop me a line.
Jim Gilmore MVPA # 5843
Member Ist Michigan AOD Chapter MVPA
Great Lakes Chapter MVPA
Ohio Motor Pool Chapter MVPA
Red Ball Chapter MVPA
Ontario Military Vehicle Association
Midwest Military Vehicle Assocation
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