M8 armored car

M8 Light Armored Car
A preserved M8 on display (2008)
Type	Armored car
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1943–present
Used by	See List of operators
Wars	World War II Korean War Vietnam War
Production history
Designer	Ford Motor Company
Designed	1942
Manufacturer	Ford Motor Company
Produced	March 1943 – June 1945
No. built	8,523 M8 3,791 M20
Variants	See Variants
Specifications
Weight	17,400 lb (7.89 metric tons)
Length	16 ft 5 in (5.0 m)
Width	8 ft 4 in (2.54 m)
Height	7 ft  4 1⁄2 in (2.25 m)
Crew	4 (commander/loader, gunner, driver, assistant driver)
Armor	0.375–1 in (9.5–25.4 mm)
Main armament	1× 37 mm gun M6 80 rounds
Secondary armament	1× .30 caliber (7.62 mm) Browning M1919 machine gun 1,500 rounds 1× .50 caliber (12.7 mm) Browning M2HB machine gun 400 rounds
Engine	Hercules JXD 6 cylinder 4-cycle inline gasoline engine 110 hp (82 kW) at 3,200 rpm
Power/weight	13.94 hp/metric ton
Transmission	Synchromesh 4 speeds forward, 1 reverse
Suspension	Leaf spring
Ground clearance	11 1⁄2 in (0.29 m)
Fuel capacity	56 US gallons (210 litres)
Operational range	~350 miles (560 km) on road
Speed	55 mph (89 km/h) on road
Steering system	Steering wheel

The M8 Light Armored Car is a 6×6 armored car produced by the Ford Motor Company during World War II. It was used by the United States and British troops in Europe and the Far East until the end of the war. The vehicle was widely exported and as of 2006^[update] still remains in service with some Third World countries.

In British service, the M8 was known as the "Greyhound", a nickname seldom if ever used by the US. The British Army found it too lightly armored, particularly the hull floor, which anti-tank mines could easily penetrate (the crews' solution was lining the floor of the crew compartment with sandbags). Nevertheless, it was produced in large numbers. The M8 Greyhound's excellent on-road mobility made it a great supportive element in the advancing American and British armored columns. It was marginal off-road, especially in mud.

In July 1941, the U.S. Army Ordnance Department initiated the development of a new fast tank destroyer to replace the M6 37 mm gun motor carriage, which was essentially a ¾-ton truck with a 37 mm gun installed in the rear bed. The requirement was for a 6×4 wheeled vehicle armed with a 37 mm gun, a coaxial machine gun mounted in a turret, and a machine gun in the front hull. Its glacis armor was supposed to withstand fire from a .50 in (12.7 mm) machine gun and side armor from a .30 in (7.62 mm) machine gun. Prototypes were submitted by Studebaker (designated T21), Ford (T22) and Chrysler (T23), all of them quite similar in design and appearance.

In April 1942, the T22 was selected, despite complaints about deficiencies, due to the need for vehicles. By then, it was clear that the 37 mm gun would not be effective against the front armor of German tanks; so, the new armored car, now designated the M8, took on a reconnaissance role instead. Contract issues and minor design improvements delayed serial production until March 1943. Production ended in June 1945. A total of 8,523 M8 and 3,791 M20 armored cars were built, The M8 and M20 were manufactured at Ford Motor Company plants in Chicago, Illinois and Saint Paul, Minnesota; the St. Paul plant built 6,397 M8s to Chicago's 2,126; the 3,791 M20s were produced at the Chicago plant only.