Tanks For The Upgrade: Mechanic Turns His Old Lada Into A Tank

Most motorists upgrade their vehicles by adding a rear spoiler or some fuzzy dice, but that’s not enough for one car owner from Russia.

Mechanic Andrei Romanov has gone all out with his recent adjustments to his pride and joy, turning his beat-up old Lada into a… tank.

That’s right: a tank.

Romanov used a range of scrap metal at his proposal to transform his car into a modern monster truck.

He lives in the Siberian city of Omsk in Russia, where temperatures this winter dropped as low as -30 degrees Celsius.

In that kind of cold and snow, a Lada isn’t the most practical mode of transport, so turning it into an all-terrain tank was actually the sensible option.

He said: “I saw a programme on military vehicles in eastern Russia, and realised I would love to drive one but would never be able to afford it.

“But then I decided to try and make one myself and because I work as a mechanic I had access to a lot of scrap metal.”

Romanov has named his creation, which he insists can reach speeds of up to 40mph, the Т-21099.

He has been using it to pull other cars out of snow drifts.

He added: “In addition to all the benefits of being able to get around, the vehicle is rather friendly in terms of costs. It only uses 16 litres of petrol for 100km.”

He plans to exhibit the vehicle at an upcoming car show.

(Pictures: CEN)