The Ins And Outs Of Owning A Tank

Owning a aTANK What you need to know War, what is it good for? In all honesty, tanks. It's easy to understand the allure of owning a tank. After all, you're purchasing a piece of history on wheels. And no one will dare cut you up again. Here's a guide to aiming your sights on the tank of your dreams. LITTLE WILLIE • 1915 • Where it all began The origin of all tanks was the famous prototype British Mark I tank known as Little Willie. While never used in combat, its design was the template for later models. Tanks were first used in combat by the British in 15 September 1916 at the Battle of You'll need a bit of history before approaching tank dealers. Not Armoured but weighed 14.22 tons the Somme. LITTLE WILLIE 1is- Named to mock the German Track frames connected to Imperial Crown Prince Wilhelm the main body Know Your Classics 6 Top Tanks WWI TANK C1916) MK IV PANZER (193 7) T-34 (1940) COUNTRY: UK. COUNTRY: Germany COUNTRY: Russia MAX SPEED: 4mph MAX SPEED: 24.8mph MAX SPEED: 34mph RANGE: 22 miles RANGE: 130 miles RANGE: 268 miles ARMOUR: 65mm ARMOUR: 6-12mm ARMOUR: 50mm FIREPOWER: FIREPOWER: 75mm gun FIREPOWER: Two 6-pounder guns 76.2mm gun POWER-TO WEIGHT RATIO: 3.3 horsepower per ton POWER-TO WEIGHT RATIO: POWER-TO WEIGHT RATIO: 15.87 horsepower per ton 10.6 horsepower per ton 0000 TIGER (19 4 2) CENTURION (1945) M-1 ABRAMS (1983) COUNTRY: Germany COUNTRY: UK COUNTRY: US MAX SPEED: 23mph MAX SPEED: 22mph MAX SPEED: 42mph RANGE: 121 miles RANGE: 120 miles RANGE: 289 miles ARMOUR: 100mm ARMOUR: 17-152mm ARMOUR: CLASSIFIED FIREPOWER: FIREPOWER: 105mm gun FIREPOWER: 120mm M256 gun 88mm gun POWER-TO WEIGHT RATIO: 12.3 horsepower per ton POWER-TO WEIGHT RATIO: 26.64 horsepower per ton POWER-TO WEIGHT RATIO: 13 horsepower per ton A Good Place to Start THE TANK MUSEUM Why not gain a good grounding in tank history before starting your search? The Tank Museum at the Bovington Camp in Dorset has close to 300 tanks from 26 countries. Mechanics in the camp workshop might offer some useful maintenance and UK repairs advice. Where to Buy Your TANK There are private tank dealers dotted around the globe. Here's a guide to where in the world you can buy one. UK There are some great English dealers to try. First try Khaki Corps imports: http://www.khakicorpsimports.com and Ex-Military.com: http://www.ex-military.com. Even if these dealers don't have tanks they have strong contacts. Likewise, also try A+S Armsoft in Norwich http://www.arm-soft.com and http://www.dinscottmilitary.co.uk Eastern Europe (Former Soviet Eastern Bloc) USA There are many tank dealers in the USA. Conduct some research but first try Army Jeeps.net: http://www.armyjeeps.net and US Military Vehicles: http://www.usmilitaryvehicles.com The STV group often has army surplus tanks for sale: http://www.stvgroup.cz/en. Another great dealer, who actually prepares the shipping and export licensing, is Excalibur Army: http://www.excaliburarmy.com/english.htm You may also like to try joining the Military Vehicle Preservation Association to make Australia contacts: http://www.mvpa.org If you're considering purchasing an army surplus tank in Australia, or importing one from down under, you should contact the Military Vehicle Collectors Australia Incorporated and take a good look around their site: You can also try bidding for an army surplus tank. Although tricky, you may be able to snap one up. Fill out a DLA form 1822, available from http://www.dla.mil/Pages. You must then fill out a DRMS Form 1645. It's then a case of bidding on a tank and then waiting to see if your paperwork is passed by the Trade Security Council and the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service. http://www.mvca.com.au/forum How Much Will You Pay? MILES PER GALLON VS PRICE $$ CHIEFTAIN Approximately 3-8 miles per gallon Two British Chieftain tanks, modified by the film industry to look like M1 Abrams, recently went on offer for S69,000 Tanks $$ CVR-T Sabre There are many army surplus Sabre's available for around $70,000 Varies with model $$$ Approximately 1.2 miles per gallon T34-85 Tank A fantastic fully restored unit is being advertised for $125,000 M5A1 STUART Light Tank $$$$$$ A great restored version of this superb light tank from the end of WWII is currently on the market for $249,400 Varies with model GRIZZLY SHERMAN Approximately 0.2 miles per gallon $$$$$$$$ A lovingly restored unit is on the market for $325,000 Tank SHERMAN M4-A1 Duplex Drive $$$$$$$$$$$$%$%4 Approximately 0.8 miles per gallon A Sherman recovered from the sea in 1974 where it had laid hidden since sinking off the coast of Omaha Beach in 1944 is currently being advertised for $595,000 Legal RequirementS For Privately Owned Tanks One thing is for the certain, the firing system and guns must be deactivated. Road rage is dangerous enough without them. Fitting rubber tracks to save road surfaces is also a sensible move. 0000 You must check the particular laws of your country regarding privately owned tanks, which includes importing and shipping if you're buying abroad. Speak with the dealers, they're extremely knowledgeable and will steer you in the right direction. Aces to Emulate Once You're in Your Tank.. Here's a few of history's greatest tank aces to look up to from your turret. Sydney Valpy Radley-Walters (1920-) Lafayette G. Pool Dmitry Lavrinenko (1919-1991) (1914-1941) Country: Canada Country: USA Country: Russia 57 258 Tank kills: Tank kills: Tank kills: AFVS In Good Company There's a whole company of avid tank fans and collectors around the world. Here are some famous tank owners you might want to hook up with. Bruce Dickinson The TANK CLUB Now here's a man truly devoted to heavy metal. Owning a T3 Bruce Dickinson makes as much noise on the road as he did on stage as the lead singer of rowdy rockers Iron Maiden. The TANK MEMBER oviet tank, VEMBER Jacques Littlefield The Littlefield Collection Bruce Dickinson TANK Jacques Littlefield (1949-2009) Aphex Twin Is there a link between music and military machines? Richard James, AKA Aphex Twin, is another musician w owns a British Daimler Ferret Mark 3 tank, which he keeps at his parent's house and uses to cruise around Cornwall. CLUB MEMBER The late great tank collector amassed an incredible private collection of 200 tanks, which included a prized German Panzer V Panther. It's nice to dream. Perhaps your first tank won't be your last. Aphex Twin who proudly Credits Tom Clancy http://www.milweb.net http://www.st http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums http://en.wikipedia.org .strangequestions.com 2 TANK CLUB It's not particularly surprising that Tom Clancy, celebrated author of military espionage techno- thrillers, has his own tank which he drives around his grounds in between novels. Sure beats a computer game. MEMBER http://www.automobilemag.com http://www.dailymail.co.uk http://en.allexperts.com http://www.aphextwin.nu http://www.provehicles.ce.uk http://military.discovery.com Tom Clancy