Aston Martin LMP1 Vs. Battle Tank

Two British iconic vehicles met on Salisbury Plain last week for charity purposes, with all the proceeds from the event going to ‘Help for Heroes’. The organization, formed to help those who have been wounded in Britain's current conflicts, received an estimated £6k following this event.

But to get straight to the point, there was one racing car against a tank, namely the Le Mans Series-winning Aston Martin LMP1 versus the Challenger II Battle Tank. Just as expected, the race car had to admit defeat against the army’s most feared weapon.

During the day, Prodrive took the army for rides in a Subaru rally car, while the army showed the motorsport company how good the Challenger II tank is off-road.

“The Challenger II has amazing off-road capability,” said Prodrive chief engineer vehicle engineering, Steve Barwick, in a statement for the press. “But, despite having 1200 horsepower at its disposal, its 62 tonnes means its never going to win any rallies and the tracks wouldn’t give much grip on a race circuit."

“However, it was interesting to see how similar the challenges in designing a military vehicle are to those of a rally car, where ultimate off-road speed and stability are paramount,” added Barwick.

Aston Martin LMP1/Challenger II comparison:

• Top speed: more then 200mph / 37mph
• Weight: 900kg / 62,500kg
• Engine: Aston Martin 6.0-litre V12 petrol / Perkins CV-12 diesel
• Power: 690bhp / 1184bhp
• Transmission: Xtrac six speed / David Brown TN54 epicyclical transmission
• Suspension: Double wishbone with coil over springs / Hydropneumatic
• Price: £1million / £4.2million