The Saracen appeared in 1952, with production made a priority as it was seen as an ideal vehicle for troops engaged in fighting against communist terrorists in Malaya. Production ceased in 1972 and although it was replaced in the British army by the FV432 as an APC, Saracens remained in serviced in Northern Ireland into the 1980's and were finally withdrawn from service in 1993.
The Saracen has many similarities to the Ferret which share the same turret (on the Mark 2), same transmission and same engine in 6 cylinder form (meaning a high percentage of the parts fit both engines). Like the Ferret the Saracen has 5 forward and reverse gears and uses run-flat tyres. The additional set of wheels (and greater weight) means that the Saracen gives an even better ride cross-country than the Ferret. Having extra wheels also means the Saracen can still operate with a wheel missing each side if needed.
Some Australian Saracens went to Vietnam as troop carriers but were found to be unsuited to the boggy conditions (the tracked M113's being preferred). Saracens were then used to train infantry groups how to rapidly de-bus from the vehicles under combat conditions in preparation for the real thing from the M113's.
Released by the army in the 1970's our Saracen then spent some time in various military museums in both Queensland and New South Wales, before being brought over to NZ.