Most road trippers opt for the good old fashioned car or campervan as a trusty mode of transport. But a certain Ian Galliers decided to complete his most recent road excursion in a 1944 Comet battle tank.
Other road users were aghast as Galliers and the restored Comet took to roundabouts and main roads in order to reach this year’s Shropshire Steam Rally. The distance covered was only eight miles, but when your mode of transport can’t surpass 20mph, it can feel a lot longer.
“We got a lot of waves and people beeping their horns and flashing their lights, I think there was a lot of shocked people seeing a tank going round the roundabout,” said Galliers to the Shropshire Star.
But the World War Two classic is not cheap to run, using 16 gallons of petrol over the short distance from Galliers’ home to the steam show.
Despite its high running costs, however, the machine is rather unique, being the only road legal Comet in the UK. Mr. Galliers took 12 years to restore the tank from wreck to full working order – with the exception of the gun of course.
More than 1,000 exhibits took part in the annual rally.
While the Comet is an unusual and eccentric mode of transport to see on our roads, it is nevertheless not the ideal road trip machine. If you happen to own a vintage battle tank, our advice is to take care: any journey further than to the local newsagent is likely to bankrupt you with very high petrol costs.
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