The Cruiser Tank Mk VIII Cavalier (A24) was a heavy cruiser tank based on the Crusader but with thicker armour and a 6pdr gun. It was produced in small numbers but was rapidly superseded by the Rolls-Royce Meteor powered A27M Cromwell.
During 1940 the Ministry of Supply issued a specification for a new Heavy Cruiser tank. This was to be armed with the 6pdr tank gun, 64-75mm of frontal armour, a 60in turret ring, be capable of at least 24mph, weight no more than 24 tons and be more reliable than the Covenanter or Crusader.
Three different (but rather similar) designs were submitted. Vauxhall suggested the A23, a cut-down version of the Churchill. The Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company produced a heavy cruiser somewhat similar to the Crusader but with different suspension and tracks. Nuffield Mechanisation and Aero produced the A24, effectively a version of the Crusader modified to carry the 6pdr gun and powered by an up-rated Liberty engine.
The Tank Board examined all three designs on 17 January 1941 and decided in favour of Nuffield's A24. On 29 January six pilot tanks were ordered, but production was expected to begin in the spring of 1942, so there would be little time to modify the design based on any experience with these tanks.
The A24 had a fairly simple layout. The fuselage was rectangular, with a stepped front to make space for a hull mounted machine gun. The Christie suspension was mounted between inner and outer panels, and the tank had five road wheels on each side. The turret was also flat sided. This basic layout would also be used in both versions of the A27.
