A WWII-era Canadian “Grizzly” tank was recently sold through online auction for $155,000.
The Canadian “Grizzly” tank is a slightly modified version of the Sherman M4 tank, officially known as Medium Tank, M4, the tank most commonly used by the American as well as other Allied troops during the Second World War.
What set the recently auctioned Canadian “Grizzly” above the others of its kind is that it was the first Sherman tank built by the Montreal Locomotive Works for Canadian troops’ use during WWII. Additionally, there were only 188 Canadian “Grizzly” tanks – known as Grizzly I cruisers in Canada – ever made in the country from 1943 to 1944.
The Canadian “Grizzly” and the Sherman M4 have many similarities — from their horsepower down to the guns and the number of crew members they could carry. However, unlike the Sherman M4, the Canadian “Grizzly” tank was fitted with a thick armor that gave its rounded look. Later versions of the said tank also had Canadian Dry Pin (CDP) tracks, tracks that did not have any rubber parts and were lighter compared to the tracks fitted on to their American counterparts.
This feature made the Canadian”Grizzly” more practical to make during the Second World War when rubber, which was Asian-produced, was scarcely available.
The auction of the Canadian “Grizzly” took place through the auction platform Bidsquare by H&H Classics, an auction house which specializes in the selling of cars and motorcycles.
The Canadian “Grizzly” is just one of the many Sherman tanks sold off iun the past years. Last 2014, a number of Sherman tank variants went under the hammer including a M4A3E2 “Jumbo” Sherman assault tank, the largest of the batch. It was sold for more than $1 million.
According to Bidsquare, the recently sold Canadian “Grizzly” needs a little work in terms of its hydraulic cables and electrical systems. Once these are fixed, the tank will be in good running condition . . . again.