(Photo: Jimmy Johansson)
Back when I was in high school, after the fall of the Soviet Union, there was a lot of cheap Soviet military equipment available on international markets. I briefly schemed to somehow acquire a T-55 tank, which were pretty cheap. Alas, tank ownership--a dream of every man--escaped me.
But Jimmy Johansson, a 23-year old man from Borlänge, Sweden, is now living that dream. He purchased a PBV 401, a Soviet-designed amphibious armored vehicle. It weighs 12 tons and can travel about 50 miles per hour on land. The purchase cost him a mere 76,000 kronor ($11,700 USD).
His saintly mother understood the impulse and supports Johansson's decision. The Local quotes him:
"When I was about to buy it I called my mother and she just started laughing. She said 'Just get it' so I did. And because I can't take it out on the streets we had to take it on the back of a truck to get it home... people couldn't help but stare."
-via Dave Barry