If you’re tired of the endless stream of high-priced auctions on Bring a Trailer and Cars & Bids, Mecum is not the place to turn for low-cost palate cleansers. The auction house frequently has some of the world’s most desirable vehicles, and one of them is heading for the block at Mecum’s Indy auction next month. The 2009 Howe & Howe Ripsaw tank from “The Fate of the Furious” movie will be up for grabs, and while it looks like it’s seen better days, it’s a tank that anyone can buy and drive off-road.
The company has built several of these tanks over the years, primarily for military and emergency personnel, but plenty have made their way into private hands. This unit is Howe & Howe’s original prototype, wearing VIN 000000001, and it comes with the original military-inspired paint seen in the movie. The 6.6-liter Duramax diesel engine is paired with an Allison automatic transmission and fully functioning tank tracks.
The tank, which cost $750,000 to build new, came from the museum that worked with Universal Studios. Beyond its role in the Fast and the Furious franchise, this Ripsaw was also used in G.I. Joe movies. A video on the vehicle’s role in “The Fate of the Furious” showed it traveling at 60 mph over ice, tackling huge snow banks, and charging over jumps, so it’s had some use. It’s unclear how well it runs or how much repair work it will need to be ready for action, but the hand-written control labels in Sharpie suggest that it’s not had the gentlest life.
If you’re hoping to get behind the yoke of this personal tank, get your wallet and off-road trails ready. The auction estimate is $150,000 to $180,000, and you won’t be able to drive the Ripsaw on, or likely anywhere near, public roads. If you’ve got the space to run it, though, it’s hard to imagine a more fun off-road experience.
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