News

Exceptional Tanks on Display at Retromobile 16-20 March

Published: 27/01/2022

For the 46th edition of Retromobile, the Saumur Armoured Vehicles Museum presents two exceptional military tanks: the Panther, (as above) one of the leading items in their collection, and the AMX 10 PAC 90.

The Musée des Blindés de Saumur displays one of the world's most important collections of armoured vehicles from the First World War to the present day. This institution not only represents a very substantial technical heritage, but also perfectly fulfils its mission with regard to the memory of France in combat which is part of our history.

For the 46th edition of Rétromobile, the Saumur Armoured Vehicle Museum presents an exceptional tank in the hall 7.2, one of the major pieces of its collection: the Panther

This tank was the German army’s main battle tank.

It was on the vast Russian expanses that the German armour first came up against the T34 tank divisions of the Red Army. This battle was a surprising and bitter defeat for the Wehrmacht. In designing the Panther, German engineers drew heavily on the very modern design of the Soviet tank. The armour was tilted to optimise protection without increasing its thickness, and wider tracks were fitted to distribute the weight of the tank more evenly and prevent it from getting stuck in the mud. The Panther appeared in 1943: weighing in at 45 tons, this tank was an effective weapon, very mobile, and above all equipped with a very powerful gun that could pierce 10 cm of armour at a distance of 1500 m.

ut this warrior had its weaknesses. The development of the Panther did not come without setbacks, and its baptism of fire was tarnished by multiple technical problems. The Panther was penalized by its excessive weight: its 23-litre Maybach 12-cylinder 700 hp engine constantly ran at full power and would overheat. Its weight led to high fuel consumption on rough terrain the Panther guzzled 700 litres every 100 kilometres. Nevertheless, the Panther remained a formidable weapon, claiming many Allied armoured vehicles as victims. The construction of the Panther tank required significant material and skilled labour resources. Germany's industrial resources ran down, meaning that the armaments factories could only supply 5,986 Panther tanks in all versions, compared to 50,000 American Sherman tanks and 60,000 Soviet T34 tanks.

The Panther presented at Rétromobile was part of one of the German armoured divisions that took part in the Battle of Normandy in 1944. Combat was extremely violent, and many German vehicles were destroyed by the Allied forces. The Armoured Vehicle Museum 's Panther was immobilised by a mechanical breakdown or lack of fuel and its crew rushed to flee without taking the time to sabotage it. In early 1945, this Panther was recovered with other German machines, to form the French armoured vehicle squadrons composed of tanks captured in battle. Afterwards, it was stored at Satory before joining the Saumur Armoured Vehicle Museum where it is kept in working order.

Panther Technical Details:

Combat weight: 45 tonnes.
Length: 9 m.
Width: 3.40 m.
Height: 3.10 m.
Crew: 5 men.
Armament: 1 x 75 mm 79-round cannon - 2 x MG 34 4,200-round machine guns.
Armour: from 110 mm to 40 mm.
Engine: 24 litre Maybach 12V, 700 hp,.
Fuel tank: 720 litres.
Consumption: 3 litres per kilometre on roads.
7 litres per kilometre off-road.
Road speed: 55 km/h.
Total production: 5,986 units.

Live presentation of the AMX 10 PAC 90 amphibious tank from the Armoured Vehicle Museum

This year, the Musée des Blindés de Saumur team will present a 1979 AMX 10 PAC 90 tank in live demonstration on the parking area of the Hall 7.3. At the time, this high-performance French armoured vehicle was equipped with a formidable high-speed anti-tank gun that fired hollow charge projectiles at a speed of 1,000 m per second. Visitors will be invited to watch this tank start up and manoeuvre.

Saumur Armoured Vehicle Museum AMX 10 PAC 90 tank – Details:

Commissioning: 1979
Length: 6 m
Width: 2.80 m
Weight: 14.5 tons
Crew: 3 men
Fully sealed aluminium body: amphibious, nuclear, biological, chemical protection
Armament: one 90 mm cannon - 30 shells; one 7.62 mm 3,200-round machine gun
Diesel engine: Hispano Suiza 280 hp - turbocharged V8 - 8,200 cc
Water jet propulsion.

For more information please visit Retromobile Show, the International Classic Cars Exhibition, 16-20 March 2022