Arnold Schwarzenegger Owns A Tank, Crushes Cars With It

Arnold Schwarzenegger owns a tank that he recently showed off for journalists, using it to crush an old car.

It may seem fitting that the action star and former governor has his own tank, but Schwarzenegger says it’s not just a powerful toy — there’s a personal meaning to it. The M47 Patton tank is “exactly the very tank that I drove in the Austrian Army when I was 18 years old,” the former governor said.

From Yahoo! Movie Talk:

“Schwarzenegger was required to serve at least a year in the military, and he told us he went in right after finishing trade school. He said, ‘I learned how to drive the tank, which was always my fascination, I think, because I grew up after the war, and I saw the British troops that occupied our area. So I always wanted to be a tank driver.’

“Schwarzenegger recounted how they would go off on maneuvers for weeks at a time. In the evenings, they would dig out a trench that he would roll the tank over, and he and his crew would sleep on the dirt underneath. He also revealed that the side of the tank featured a large tool box, but he used his to house his weightlifting equipment. He kept his barbells and dumbbells on hand so he could train every night while they were away from base. That way he was able to stay in shape so that a few months after leaving the service, he was able to compete in his first Mr. Universe competition in 1966. He came in second that year, and then won the amateur title the next (and the pro title the three following years).”

The tank ride appears to be part of a trend on the part of Schwarzenegger, who is opening up more about his career and life. In recent weeks the actor also talked about one of his perceived failures, telling Empire magazine that he didn’t regret the critically panned Batman and Robin.

Schwarzenegger bought the tank in 1992, bringing it to America originally as part of a Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. When that fell through, Schwarzenegger switched gears and kept the tank at Melody Ranch Motion Picture Studio just outside of Los Angeles.

Here is video of Arnold Schwarzenegger riding his tank and crushing cars: