M8 Greyhound

The M8 light armored car, called the Greyhound in British service, was a six wheeled armored car produced by the Ford Motor Company during World War II and used from 1943 by United States and British forces in Europe and the Pacific. It grew from a July 1941 Army Ordnance requirement for a fast tank destroyer; Studebaker, Ford and Chrysler submitted prototypes, and Ford's T22 was chosen in April 1942, then redesignated M8 and given a reconnaissance role when its 37 mm gun proved too weak against German tank armor. Serial production began in March 1943 and ended in June 1945, with 8,523 M8 armored cars and 3,791 lighter M20 variants built at Ford plants in Chicago and Saint Paul. A Hercules six cylinder gasoline engine gave a road speed of 55 miles an hour, and the crew of four relied on thin armor and speed. Mines and poor mud mobility were its weaknesses, yet it was widely exported and some countries still operated it in 2024.