Fancy A Soviet Tank? All Yours For £30,000

A self-taught mechanic has put a Soviet tank up for sale on Ebay for £30,000.

The T-54 main battle tank would "benefit from a coat of paint and a service" but "starts and runs good", according to the listing.

The 36-tonne tank has been put up for sale by 23-year-old Joe Hewes from Leicester.

He told The Express: 

"I put it on eBay as a bit of a laugh really, I thought they'd take it off because it's technically a weaponised vehicle."

"But it's now got thousands and thousands of views so if it was breaking rules it would have been removed by now.

"Now I'm the only seller in the country to list a tank this calibre on Ebay."

It is "sold as seen".

The T-54/55 series eventually became the most-produced tank in military history with production numbers for the series range estimated to be between 86,000 and 100,000.

More: The Tank: A Hundred Years Strong

They remain in use by up to 50 armies worldwide, some having received sophisticated retrofitting.

Its main armament was the D-10T 100mm rifled gun 7.62 mm~SGMT coaxial machine gun as its secondary.

The tank was developed by the USSR and produced between 1946-81 by the Soviets.

Its entry into the Cold War led to the UK developing a new tank gun, The Royal Ordinance L7 and the US making the M60 Patton.

More: Russia's New Tanks To 'Leave West Outgunned'

All images courtesy: Joe Hewes / Ebay