The Boarhound was one of the heaviest and most heavily armed armoured cars of the Second World War. Built for the British Army, it proved powerful but was completed too late to see active service.
The General Motors Corporation designed the Boarhound eight-wheel drive armoured car in 1942 to meet British requirements for a heavy vehicle suitable for desert use. Unfortunately it was completed too late for service in the desert, and was seen as impractical for use in Europe, so it never entered service.
The original plan was to fit Boarhound with the British 6 pounder (57 mm) gun, but the prototype carried the smaller American 37 mm weapon. Cast armour was used for the hull and turret, and it carried the same number of crew as a Sherman tank.
Boarhound was powered by a pair of six cylinder GM truck engines mounted at the back. Each engine drove through a three-speed reverse gearbox to a central transfer box and then to all eight wheels. Power-assisted steering worked on the two front axles only, which gave the Boarhound a large turning circle of 80 feet diameter.
The Tank Museum’s Boarhound
The last surviving Boarhound is in our collection – having arrived at The Tank Museum in 1949 – and is housed in the Vehicle Conservation Centre.
