The M8 light armored car is a 6Ă—6 armored car produced by the Ford Motor Company during World War II. It was used from 1943 by United States and British forces in Europe and the Pacific until the end of the war. The vehicle was widely exported and as of 2006 still remained in service with some countries.
M8 Greyhound at the U.S. Army Armor & Cavalry Collection, Fort Moore (formerly Fort Benning), Georgia, 2023
Radio inside an M8
The telescopic sight used to aim the main 37 mm gun
Shells for the main 37 mm gun were stored on racks inside the turret. The barrel of an M1 carbine, carried for close-in vehicular defense, is visible at left.
A military armored car is a wheeled armored fighting vehicle, historically employed for reconnaissance, internal security, armed escort, and other subordinate battlefield tasks. With the gradual decline of mounted cavalry, armored cars were developed for carrying out duties formerly assigned to light cavalry. Following the invention of the tank, the armored car remained popular due to its faster speed, comparatively simple maintenance and low production cost. It also found favor with several colonial armies as a cheaper weapon for use in underdeveloped regions. During World War II, most armored cars were engineered for reconnaissance and passive observation, while others were devoted to communications tasks. Some equipped with heavier armament could even substitute for tracked combat vehicles in favorable conditions—such as pursuit or flanking maneuvers during the North African campaign.
U.S. T17E1 Staghound armored car of World War II
AMX-10RC, a modern armored car of the French Army
F.R. Simms' Motor Scout, built in 1898 as an armed car
F.R. Simms' 1902 Motor War Car, the first armored car to be built