The Tank Museum at Bovington will borrow a rare King Tiger engine and gearbox from Sweden to get KTV2 running, with £506,000 of its £1m target raised.
The Tank Museum at Bovington has secured the loan of an original King Tiger engine and gearbox from Sweden, the missing pieces it needs to bring its King Tiger V2 back to running condition.
The engine and gearbox are on display at Arsenalen, the Swedish Tank Museum, but belong to the Swedish Army Museum. Under the agreement announced on Monday 19 October they will be shipped to Dorset and fitted to KTV2 once they have been fully overhauled, the museum said.
Until now the museum did not know how the tank would be powered. Chris Price, the museum’s chief executive, said:
“These components are obviously crucial if we are to realise our ambition to return King Tiger V2 to running condition. Exactly how this tank would be powered was a question to which we didn’t have an answer when we announced the project a year ago. To say that these items are rare and highly prized would be something of an understatement: it’s one of the handful we know to exist today.”
A drivetrain with no tank
According to the museum, the drivetrain is all that survives of a King Tiger that the Swedish government obtained from the French after the Second World War. The museum calls it the “Swedish King Tiger” and says it will shortly publish a YouTube video on its story, while subscribers to The Tank Museum Workshop channel will be able to follow the overhaul of the components.
Stefan Karlsson, director of Arsenalen, said:
“This loan highlights the close international relationship between leading military museums. We’re proud to be able to support our friends and partners in the UK, and we wish them every success with their project.”
Why KTV2 matters
The museum’s KTV2 project page describes King Tiger V2 as the oldest surviving King Tiger. It was the second of 492 built, which is where the name comes from: the V stands for “Versuchs”, German for experimental or trial. Built in December 1943, it spent its whole service life at the Henschel testing facility in Germany and, the museum says, was found there fully stowed and ready to fight when Allied forces overran the site, though it is not believed to have fired a shot in anger. It is also the only surviving King Tiger fitted with the pre-production turret.
More than a year into the project, the tank has been stripped almost entirely in the Bovington workshop: the gun, turret, roadwheels and suspension have all come off. The museum’s aim is to return it as close as possible to its original specification and the condition it was in when it fell into British hands.
Just past half way to £1m
Supporters have given almost half a million pounds over the last 12 months, the museum says. Its fundraiser page showed £506,000 raised towards a £1,000,000 target when we checked on 19 October, a total that includes a single private gift of £100,000.
“This is the news our supporters have been waiting for: the announcement that proves we can turn our ambition into reality,” Mr Price said, “and we would like to acknowledge the generosity of the Swedish Army Museum and Arsenalen for their cooperation in making this happen.”
The museum says it will use the restoration to research the tank, build new skills and train the next generation of heritage engineers, bringing in outside experts where needed.
What it means for you
- The appeal is still open. Donations go through the museum’s page at tankmuseum.org/KTV2. Bronze supporters (£25) get their name on an online roll of honour; Silver (£250) adds their name on the finished tank and on a donors’ board in the museum; Gold (£1,000) adds a workshop tour and a place in a draw for a ride in the King Tiger once it runs. UK taxpayers can add Gift Aid.
- You can follow the work online. The museum posts restoration updates on its site and on The Tank Museum Workshop YouTube channel, where the engine and gearbox overhaul will appear.
The Tank Museum is an independent museum and registered charity at Bovington, with more than 300 tanks from 26 nations.
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