Grizzly for sale
 

Saw this today.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1943-sherman-m4a1

Cool
 

Bidding stands at $300,000 with 10 days to go.

Attachment 117339

My house...the tank...my house...the tank. Tough call, better ask the wife.

I note the ad doesn't once mention Canadian. There is reference to it in the comments and they concede it is a good thing but it's almost like the auction didn't want that fact to be well known.

Canadian-Built Variant of the Sherman
 

You'd have to sell a kidney too, maybe? Bidding has gone up from $250,000 to $325,000 and there are still 10 days to go.

Indeed in the main text only hints like "Like its prototype, the production M4A1, including the Grizzly variant, featured a cast, single-piece upper hull welded to an armor-plated lower hull" and "the seller reports that the white serial numbers are not original." But the side bar lists "Cast-Hull M4A1 Medium Tank. Canadian-Built Variant of the Sherman".

Edited to add: I have been informed the description was changed, so your initial comment was correct. The main text now states: “This M4A1 Grizzly is an adaptation of the Sherman medium tank that was built in Canada in late 1943”

I think that one has been for sale for years for $275k. I was hoping i could swing it but no.

If you look at the video , the driver is revving up the engine to change gears , hmm that is just asking for difficult gear changing .

Like quite a few rebuilt Grizzlies delivered to Portugal after WW2, this one has the Sexton heavy duty bogie housings - note the deeper strenghtening ribs on the outside.

Attachment 117380

Now at $350,000 act NOW to avoid disappointment....

Now $405,000............

Well there goes the other kidney. And the first born son.

tank vs house
 

In my neighborhood this tank is worth half a house. In Toronto a third of a house, if you were to check on the price paid for this in the late 70s or early 80s its probably still a similar percentage. Very interesting discussion re this vehicle on G503/ armor page on the legality of uncut breech ring with barrel, check it out.

A couple of years ago the tank still had all the control boxes for the 19 set. Now they have all been cut out and a SCR508 scabbed in with BC-606 boxes. I wonder where the bidding would be if people knew it was not a US made vehicle? The description borders on deceiving.

And as of May 1 this year the same question of legality here in Canada.

USD $480,000 (Reserve Not Met)

That is an impressive show of brass by the seller.

This kind of pricing validates one market segment I've mentioned before. There is a French company, www.http://www.balmoralgreen.com that has built rolling, driving Shermans from scrapyard relics and burnt out range hulks using modern automotives. Externally they are Shermans, but internally there is a bus engine, automatic transmission and hydraulic controls.

As we see now, the market holds a Sherman's value at half-million dollars, a rejuvenation budget of half a million is a lot of wiggle room. IMHO, that give potential buyers who value driving their tanks more than admiring the 100% originality of the restoration, an opportunity to get into the game.

"A rising tide lifts all boats in the harbour".

The value of M3 Lee projects seem to have risen accordingly:

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/WW2-US-T....c100276.m3476

The M3 comes with years of hard work but at least it has some spades....to dig your own grave :salute:

This tank was for sale for the longest time at $275,000, it appears the interior was only resprayed and some of the British bits taken out, someone must have picked it up and is trying to make a lot more money on it, supposedly the reserve was raised during the auction..

Taking into account it was on sale for a long time, I reckon the current owner got this Grizzly for roughly half of what was bid at auction. Factoring in the cost of transportation and the spruce up, that 480k could have been a nice and quick return on the investment with a nice margin. He will now have to wait till the next bidder with even deeper pockets to come along...

post auction activity
 

I think a lot of those "No Sale" high reserve auctions generate after-market negotiations and sales. Will be interesting to see who shows up with it in the coming months...new owner? old owner?