The Story of Ludvik the Tank

Meet Ludvik, our 1969 OT-64 SKOT amphibious armored personnel carrier. We imported Ludvik from Europe in October 2022 after a lengthy 6mo process involving entirely too much paperwork. Ludvik began his life in Poland during the Cold War where he was manufactured for the Polish army. Ludvik was originally designated an R2-M vehicle, meaning he was fully outfitted with many antennas and radios for military communication.

As soon as we received Ludvik here in Atlanta, we began our conversion. We removed all the original radio equipment, deep cleaned the inside and repainted the crew and driver’s compartments. We installed new custom benches, electrical system, lighting and projector, along with a full 360 view camera system for the driver. After some engine and drivetrain tune-ups, extension of the exhaust and some heavy sound-proofing, Ludvik was ready to roll!

The designation of SKOT (or Střední Kolový Obrněný Transportér in Polish) translates to Medium wheeled Armored Transporter. Originally Ludvik was armed with a Russian 14.5 KPV anti-armor cannon and a smaller 7.62 machine gun, both mounted in the turret. Today Ludvik has a 20mm Vulcan Cannon with a blank simulated fire system (the cannon only makes sound and smoke). Ludvik is powered by a 12.7L air-cooled Diesel Engine making 210HP with a sequential pre-select Praga-Wilson 5 speed gearbox. The vehicle is fully amphibious and can actually float in the water! He has two propellers at the rear with rudders, and can go about 5-6MPH in the water. On land, the top speed is roughly 65MPH!

Tank FAQs

  • Technically this is an amphibious armored personnel carrier, not a Tank, but it is fully armored with a turret and cannon!

  • Yes we can! Ludvik is fully Georgia registered and insured for driving on public roads. It is pretty big and harder to maneuver, so we are pretty careful when we drive around the city.

  • Ludvik can go up to 65MPH, but is most comfortable cruising around town at 30-40mph

  • The gun in the turret does use a real 20mm anti-tank cannon barrel, but is custom made to only shoot blanks to simulate a real anti-tank cannon.

  • Yes! Ludvik is full amphibious, meaning we can basically drive it into the water at any time, turn on the propellers and away we go!