[MACTANK]

Dealership Offers Unusual Vehicle For Sale -- 1969 Tank

Vintage War Machine Can Be Had For $25,000





HAMPTON, N.H. -- A car dealer in New Hampshire recently got an unusual trade-in from a collector in Florida, and now customers have the opportunity to purchase some serious hardware.

On the lot of the Hampton Motor Company is a 1969 Ferret Scout tank looming over the other automobiles.

"[The collector] got it directly from England," lot owner Henry Marsh said. "It's English. And it was just something to play with around his estate."

The tank is no toy, but it can be bought for $25,000.

"I want it," customer Robert Bencivenga said. "I'll pay the 25 grand for it. It would get rid of a lot of enemies."

There are smoke bombs on both sides, and it's equipped with a .30-caliber machine gun. The weapons no longer work, but it has a lot of other features, such as a periscope and a revolving turret.

The tank isn't easy to operate, but it does come with a user's manual, telling the owner how to do everything from starting the engine to getting the amphibious machine into the water.

Hampton Motor Company doesn't allow test drives, but the dealer said he doesn't expect the tank to be a hard sell.