DORSET.- Just a year after The Tank Museum launched a £50,000 fundraising campaign to revive their M47 tank, the iconic Cold War-era vehicle roared back to life and wowed the crowds at TANKFEST 2025 - the world’s best display of historic moving armour.

The Tank Museum’s M47 Patton tank has been fully restored following a public appeal to raise the £50,000 that was required to return it to full running order. It was unveiled at TANKFEST 2025 in front of 24,000 visitors from around the world at The Tank Museum in Bovington, Dorset.

The US-built M47 is an important part of the Cold War story, and therefore a significant addition to The Tank Museum’s running collection. It also has a famous fan in Arnold Schwarzenegger, who served in an M47 in the Austrian military, later purchasing the tank he crewed.

Membership and Fundraising Officer, Kevin Hygate, said: “We were all so thrilled when the M47 made its grand return in full running order at a gloriously sunny TANKFEST 2025!

“Engineer Matt Pyle, who headed the restoration, has done a fine job in helping save the life of what was once nearly a range-wreck. An achievement only made possible by the incredibly generous donations from our supporters.”

TANKFEST, the world’s best display of historic moving armour, is an annual event held at The Tank Museum in Bovington, Dorset.

Presented by World of Tanks, it features three full days of arena action, with explosive displays from The Tank Museum’s running collection and special guest tanks and tracked vehicles.

The Tank Museum at Bovington in Dorset brings the story of tanks and tank crews to life.

With over 300 tanks from 26 nations, The Tank Museum holds the finest and most historically significant collection of fighting armour in the world. These range from the world’s first ever tank, Little Willie, through to the British Army’s current Main Battle Tank, Challenger 2.

The Museum’s powerful exhibitions tell the story of armoured warfare spanning over 100 years of history, where visitors come face to face with tanks and hear incredible true stories from the last century.

The Tank Museum is an independent Museum and registered Charity.