The South African Reconnaissance Car (SARC) MkVI (6pdr) is a Rank II armored car in the British tech tree. Its lightweight design, powerful engines, and high-penetration 6-pounder gun make it ideal for flanking and ambushing enemy tanks. With excellent speed and agility, it can quickly reposition to catch opponents off guard.
| Pros | Cons |
| Very powerful engine with great acceleration and a high top speed | Very soft armor, able to be machine gunned from the side with ease |
| Powerful Main Armaments, a punchy 57mm cannon with high-penetration shells | Limited to Solid Armor-Piercing shells which results in mediocre Post-Penetration performance |
| .50 caliber machine gun that remains operative even without the commander | Vehicle is open to and very susceptible to artillery and medium to large-caliber High explosive shells |
| Great all-terrain performance in sand, snow, and most off-road situations | Performance may suffer on some inclines and steep hills |
Survivability & Armor
Due to its weak protection with only 30mm of armor on the front of the turret and 20mm on the hull, the SARC MkVI is highly susceptible to heavy machine gun fire. Weapons such as 12.7 mm machine guns can penetrate its sides and front at medium ranges, and even smaller-caliber rounds, like the 7.62 mm Soviet machine guns or the 7.92 mm German machine guns, can inflict some damage at close range. Most planes will be able to penetrate you, even with smaller caliber machine guns due to the lack of a turret roof and weak hull roof armor.
The SARC MkVI struggles significantly in terms of survivability, making it one of the more vulnerable vehicles in its class. With only three crew members, a single well-placed shot to the side or front can quickly destroy the tank, leaving little room for error. The minimal armor provides almost no effective resistance against incoming fire from most threats in the game. rockets, bombs, Artillery shells, and high explosive rounds that land anywhere even near the SARC are likely to damage or destroy it entirely by overpressuring the crew.
Mobility
The SARC MkVI excels in mobility, making it one very fast vehicle. Equipped with dual Mercury V8 engines producing a combined 190 horsepower, the SARC can reach speeds of up to 65 km/h forward and 18 km/h in reverse while on-road, however the full forward speed may not be achievable off-road. Its strong acceleration, combined with its wheeled configuration, provides good all-terrain performance, enabling the vehicle to traverse maps quickly and efficiently. This mobility makes the SARC particularly effective at capturing strategic zones and executing flanking maneuvers against enemy players.
The SARC MkVI is among the best vehicles in terms of speed and maneuverability. Few vehicles can rival its mobility, with the German Sd.Kfz.234 family of armored cars being notable competitors. While its wheeled design performs well on most terrains, the SARC does suffer when attempting to climb some inclines at lower speeds.
Armament
The SARC MkVI delivers impressive firepower, combining a potent main gun with a capable secondary machine gun. Its primary weapon is the 57 mm 6-pounder OQF Mk.III cannon, a highly effective gun for close and long range situations. Supporting this is the American 12.7 mm M2HB machine gun, along with a coaxial 7.92 mm BESA machine gun, providing ample versatility against a variety of targets.
Main Cannon
The 6-pounder gun is a powerful, high-penetration weapon, capable of performing well even in uptiers. It is equipped with a low speed vertical stabilizer, allowing for low speed on the move shots. Its main cannon has many choices for ammunition:
| Shot Mk.5 | Stock Ammunition for the SARC. Essentially a solid slug round, it has good penetration, however suffers at angles and long ranges. |
| Shot Mk.5 HV | Higher Velocity version of the Shot Mk.5, resulting in slightly improved performance all round. |
| Shot Mk.8 | A capped version of the Shot Mk.5 HV, with a negligible increase to penetration. |
| Shot Mk.9 | The SARC’s best AP round. equipped with a cap and a ballistic cap, improving aerodynamics, there is a noticeable increase in penetration across the board, however the velocity suffers slightly. |
| Shell Mk.10 | High Explosive round. Able to consistently take out smaller open topped vehicles and some lighter targets. |
However, the gun has a significant drawback shared by many British tanks: a lack of explosive filler. This results in in mediocre post-penetration damage, as it relies heavily on spall to inflict damage. Without explosive filler, shots to weak spots like cupolas are often ineffective, forcing players to aim for direct hits on ammunition racks or critical crew and modules to disable or destroy enemy vehicles effectively. this also means some tanks may be essentially invulnerable from the front.
Machine Guns
The SARC’s main machine gun, the 12.7mm has powerful rounds able to knock out exposed crew members of open top vehicles in a singe shot or even penetrate some lightly armoured vehicles. the machine gun has good vertical guidance allowing it to fire upon planes and potentially disable or destroy them, and may also act as a deterrent to lower the likelihood of getting bombed. The coaxial is also good for picking off exposed crew members in the event of the main machine gun being damaged, however it is not powerful enough to do much else.
Usage in Battles
The SARC is a highly effective vehicle in the right hands, capable of executing devastating flanking maneuvers.
The primary strategy for the SARC, as with most light vehicles, is to outmaneuver enemies by flanking around them and disabling or destroying them before they have a chance to react. Using its superior mobility, you can traverse the sides of strategic points or skirt the main battlefield to attack tanks from their weaker side or rear armor.
On some maps, the SARC’s speed and agility allow you to access elevated or concealed positions, enabling you to pick off targets from a distance. While staying far away reduces your vulnerability to machine gun fire during engagements, it’s important to note that sniping is not the SARC’s primary role. Instead, focus on using its mobility to exploit openings and create opportunities for close or medium-range attacks.
When facing higher-tier opponents, you may encounter heavily armored vehicles like the KV-7 (U-13), the up-armored KV-1E and KV-IB, the Pz.Kpfw.Churchill, and the ARL-44 (ACL-1). These tanks can be difficult to penetrate head-on. To maximize your effectiveness, aim to disable their mobility by targeting tracks, the transmission, or the engine. Alternatively, neutralize their offensive capabilities by destroying the barrel (s). When possible, attack from the sides or rear to exploit weaker armor and achieve successful penetration.
