There are many driving experiences you could enjoy as part of a stag party, birthday celebration, or other special event. But how about driving a tank?!

Few things can exceed the thrill of commanding the hulking metal monster that is the FV 432 Armoured Personnel Carrier. This vehicle, which still serves in the British Army today, is classed as a ‘light tank’, but that’s only in relative terms – as it still weighs 15 tonnes.

The 432 first saw service in the 1960s, making it one of the longest-serving vehicles in the army. Its heyday came in the 1980s when there were 2,500 in the British army, and 500 are still in use. They have seen service in Afghanistan and Iraq, whilst others were sold and are currently deployed in Ukraine.

Naturally, you won’t just jump in and start driving, but will be given a full history of the vehicle, information about its features, and instructions on how to go about operating it. Overall, you will be inside it for around an hour, feeling the power as the mighty machine and its caterpillar tracks churn up the ground beneath you.

Tanks have come a long way since they were initially used in the First World War, when the then First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill persuaded prime minister Herbert Asquith to back their development.

The term ‘tank’ was used to help keep their development secret, as it would fool the Germans into thinking anything written about them had to do with water tanks.

First used in 1916, the early tanks were prone to mechanical faults and too few to be very effective, while commanders had not developed a strategy to make better use of them. Even so, the French, Germans and Americans soon started making their own and they were to play a huge role in later conflicts.

It is fascinating to think that the FV432 has been around for about half the time that tanks have been in use by armies, yet is still in service. That should add to the thrill of riding in one!

For more details, go to our ‘tank driving’ page under ‘exciting activities’, or look under ‘gift vouchers’ to book your experience.