Sometimes, you can find some interesting things on this here interweb--and by the side of the road. Although I have no relation to the sellers or financial interest in the sale, I thought this might be of interest to you guys:
http://greenbay.craigslist.org/cto/868687654.html

A 1959 U.S. Army M56 "Scorpion" 90MM Tank Destroyer Full tracked vehicle. All aluminum body, Continential air cooled motor, GM Allison transmission. Rubber tracks, Steel cleats with rubber inserts. Spare track section comes with vehicle. The motor does not run. Pop in a Chevy small block to the GM Allison transmission and have the BADDEST ride in town! The 90MM gun is a tapered steel barrel repro made to "fire" propane and oxygen to make noise only. Other than missing the original gun, the vehicle is pretty much complete and original. Tracks and bogey wheels look good.
Or just give it a coat of O.D. paint and have the wildest lawn ornament in town!
These were made by GM Cadillac division for the U.S. Military, And this is a fairly rare vehicle.

$7,500.00


I also spotted a highly-modified M8/M20 by the side of the road in Michigan (M-37) back in August. If I can find the phone number & determine whether it is still for sale, I'll post it up. If it isn't for sale anymore, I'll still post the picture, for the pure entertainment value.

So, has anyone else seen anything interesting, lately?

(MODERATOR, if this is not the appropriate forum for this, please move to FFZ.)

Douglas

[Edit: Apparently typing is a skill a bit beyond my means tonight... ]

On the US M56,
I always found it odd that,
as far as relatively small vehicles armed with medium-performance 90mm guns,
the US tanked on the idea (excuse the pun),
while several European groups came up with very useful weapons.

Giat, Cockerill (now CMI) and Mecar all made 90mm low-to-medium velocity guns that were purchased the world over, still in use even,
to the point they were copied by other countries to get their own home grown armaments markets established: South Africa and Brazil immediately come to mind.

Sweden even had a rather nice piece installed in their Ikv91 (pre-CV90 era), looking like it would've had some good improvement potential over its principal HEAT-firing role (similar to that on the German JPz90 on the other recent thread).
France took it to the extreme with the long 90mm CS90 F4 or whatever it was called in its final iteration (seen most often on VBC 90s or ERC 90s (Sagaie?)), with a considerable KE ammunition velocity advantage over all the other guns,
especially when compared to its "shorty" stablemate, the GIAT 90mm F1 (most often seen on numerous 4x4 AFVs, especially French, of the 1960s and '70s).
and Cockerill alone made so many marks of their 90s but finally settled for the best-known favorites in the Mk III (with early characteristic triple baffel muzzle brake, but now with a single to allow KE ammo), and the more powerful Mk8, which is quite similar in performance to the Mecar 90mm L46 "KEnerga" gun.

There were a few here-and-there little-known 90s like were made by the Swiss (Federal Construction field guns?),
but where did the US go with it?
After the 90mm higher performance gun in the pre-105 M48s,
that's all the farther the US ever went, that and the rather mediocre weapon here on the M56.

I read somewheres that those ARES people who developed that cool 75mm gun using cased telescopic ammo also did a version in 90mm for trials, or at least considered it (in Hunnicutt's Sheridan, maybe?), but never saw anything of it taken further.

As export-friendly as the US has been since post-WW2 with all its FMS foreign military sales to those we like to keep close to us,
it's just amazing we let that market (90mm lightweight guns with still respectable performances even today) slip thru our fingers.
How many US AFVs over the years could've easily adapted to some sort of quick change turret system where they could've swapped out complete turrets as needed, depending on the armaments best suited for the job ?
(M113, Bradley, various Cadillac Gage/Texton wheeled types, Piranha/LAV, etc...)

Notice though, that for a "little" country like Britain, its Scorpion 90 is pretty well known across the world (and easily recognizable by many AFV entusiasts), whereas the US Scorpion armed with a 90 is known by far fewer, and seems to be barely a footnote in the history of AFVs.

Can anyone recommend any good literature on the US development, fielding, and operation of the M56?
(Have to really dig to find my copy of Sheridan, but can't recall if it even said much about it...?)

I recently saw a rusty M3/M5 Stuart hull on a trailer being hauled south on I-65 near Birmingham AL. Since I was going in the opposite direction, I was only able to get a glance. As far as I could tell, it was on its roadwheels, minus treads

Someone's project hopefully...

There was a very good condition British Scorpion on ebay recently.

As promised, here's the M8/M20.



I called and it is still for sale. (231) 225-1903. I'm told it runs good and that it comes with a back blade. Asking price is $3500. As I recall, it is located on M-37 somewhere around Newaygo or White Cloud, MI.

Douglas

Too far gone for anything but suspension spares I'm afraid...

IIRC the Scorpion "mobile AT gun" shared a problem with its successor, the M 551 Sheridan:

the crew was scared to s§$% to fire the own gun!

;-)

Makes not for good aiming and lots fo practicing ...

Hermann

I found another M56 hull for sale just up the road from Marinette, WI. This one is for sale for $1800. I've posted this one on Steel Soldiers, as well, with the following information.






http://img296.imageshack.us/my.php?image=m...rpion004xo7.jpg

Douglas

[Edited to attempt to fix thumbnail link. Didn't help.]