by Ben Higgins
So you're sitting there, traffic backed up, the car next to you is playing loud music, and you would just rather be at home. Don't you wish you could just turn off the road and drive through the fields and forests to get to your destination? If you're in a Toyota 4Runner, you may even want to try your luck, but even it can't go everywhere, and if you want nothing barring your way, then we have the vehicle for you. The Howe & Howe Ripsaw is a go-anywhere tank that has its roots in military and remote-controlled weaponized technology.... and you can actually own one.
In this article, we will look at how the Ripsaw came to be, its thrust into Hollywood, how it turned into something you can buy privately, and its different variants.
By Danie Botha - Feb 16, 2025
10 Japanese SUVs That Are Off-Road Legends
Japanese automakers may not have invented the 4WD system but, by most accounts, they sure have gone a long way in making it highly capable, reliable and efficient. In fact, some would argue that Japanese automakers make some of the best and most capable off-road vehicles in the world.
With some iconic nameplates like Land Cruiser, Armada, Montero, and Jimny in the game worldwide, Japanese automakers sure flipped the script on early detractors who looked down on their vehicles back in the 1950s.
How Did The Ripsaw Come Into Production?
The story of the Ripsaw begins with an idea from the company Howe & Howe Technologies (now part of Textron Systems) in 2001. The premise was to create a light, go-anywhere tank that could be used as both a manned and remote-controlled vehicle for patrols, scouting, and explosive removal disposal situations. The drivable civilian version of the Ripsaw is only an offshoot of the real military purpose and the market it is trying to get into. It is no surprise then, that the Ripsaw has been spotted in military hands on real battlegrounds as far back as 2001 in Iraq. Up until May of this year, the military version of the Ripsaw, the Ripsaw M5, was in testing as an unmanned ground combat operations vehicle, strapped with a turret and missiles made to keep firing even if other parts of the tank are disabled.
By Danie Botha - Mar 28, 2025
The Wildest Brabus G-Class Was So Hardcore It Wasn't Even Road Legal
German turning company Brabus has, since 1977, built some ridiculous automobiles, mostly based on Mercedes-Benz models, though they do occasionally stray to unexpected places. The tuner's portfolio included models such as the 1988 Brabus M V12, at the time the fastest SUV in the world with a top speed of 162 mph, to the Brabus Rocket, the fastest police car in the world in 2006, with a top speed of 227 mph. To this day, Brabus still holds the record for the fastest sedan ever made, 15 years after the car's introduction.
Over the years, the company specializing in creating some crazy-fast cars that once upon a time wore the Mercedes-Benz emblem, kept on growing bigger, the cars more powerful. In 2023, as part of the company’s 45th birthday, the engineers created something even more ridiculous. And just 15 of these cars will be made. Brabus calls it the Crawler. It is so ridiculous, it is simply amazing. And wonderful. Stupid fast, too. And you can’t even drive it on the road.
Ripsaw Specs And Off-road Ratings
Currently offered as the M5 and M3, the Ripsaw has some serious off-road chops. Howe & Howe Tech is understandably a bit cagey in the brochure for the new M5, but it has published the M3's off-road specifications. The M3 has 14 inches (355.6 mm) of ground clearance, has a maximum gap crossing potential of 48 in (1,220 mm), and can even scale a low wall of up to 24 in (610 mm).
| RIPSAW® M5 | RIPSAW® M3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 21,000 lbs | 14,000 lbs |
| Size | 234 x 105 in | 206 x 80 in |
| Deck Height | 60 in | 48 in |
| Payload Capacity | 8,000 lbs | 5,000 lbs |
| Speed | >25 mph | >30 mph |
Ripsaw Variants
The Ripsaw family is a confusing and long-winded affair, with different models all being called Ripsaws, even if they are for very different purposes.
- Ripsaw UGV: This non-militarized prototype could accelerate to 65 mph (105 km/h) in about 3.5 seconds.
- The Ripsaw MS1 tactical UGV: An early military design that was equipped with a robust, large, and tailored 600-horsepower (610 PS; 450 kW) Duramax 6.6L V8 diesel engine that produces 900 lb-ft (1,200 Nm) of torque. The Ripsaw MS1 served as a testing platform designed to evaluate off-road performance. It was solely unmanned, priced at $200,000 and could hit speeds from 0 to 65 mph (0–105 km/h) in three seconds. That makes this driverless tank quicker than most modern day sports cars.
- Ripsaw MS2 UGV: Larger, faster, and more modular than the MS1. It weighs 4.5 short tons (4.1 t) and can carry a one-short-ton (0.91 t) payload. Once again, it was powered by a 6.6-liter Duramax diesel engine generating 600 horsepower (610 PS; 450 kW) and 1,000 lb-ft (1,400 Nm) of torque. Fully loaded, the MS2 can accelerate from 0–50 mph (0–80 km/h) in 5.5 seconds and has a top speed of 60 mph (97 km/h). An MS2 vehicle cost an eye-watering $750,000.
- Ripsaw MS3 UGV: Being tested by the US military as a Remote Armed Maneuver Platform (RAMP).
- Ripsaw EV2: Think of this as the "luxury" version of the Ripsaw lineup. A fully enclosed body, two seats inside the cab, and speeds of over 60 mph (97 km/h), with a 300-mile (480 km) range. This model is designed for the civilian market and costs $295,000 for a base model with customizable features.
- Ripsaw M5: A fully autonomous, all-electric tank with a modular design and maximum speed of 60 mph (96 km/h).
- Ripsaw F4: The newest civilian variant that will now allow four passengers, with a maximum speed of 55 mph.
Currently, the website for the Ripsaw only shows two models, military versions of both the M3 and M5, but up until recently there was also a civilian version in the form of the F4.
A Silver Screen Star
All this talk of unmanned tanks made for bomb diffusion is all well and good, but you will most likely know the Ripsaw for the other side of its personality - its role in many famous action movies. Due to its sleek design, big power, and, well, its downright coolness, the Ripsaw has followed in the shoes of certain guns like the Kriss Vector, and become a movie star as well as a military experiment. Most famously, the Ripsaw was driven by rapper Ludacris's character in the final chase scene of The Fast and the Furious: The Fate of the Furious. It is seen blasting across an ice lake chasing a submarine, with a minigun strapped to the top of it.
Other blockbusters include G.I. Joe: Retaliation, and Mad Max Fury Road. The Ripsaw in Mad Max is a bit more difficult to make out, as it has the body of a mid-70's Chrysler Valiant Charger stretched over the chassis to help keep it in line with the look of the movie.
By Ian Wright - Mar 9, 2025
9 Of The Craziest 6x6 Pickup Trucks Ever Made
There are excellent reasons why four-wheeled vehicles are a common sight on roads today and six-wheeled vehicles are not. The apparent reasons are cost, size, and weight. You wouldn't want to drive and park something with three axles on the road daily. And going off-road, something with four wheels is infinitely more maneuverable and limber over a larger obstacle.
What an extra axle with an extra wheel on each side of the vehicle brings to the game is two tires' worth of extra grip and traction with a better spread of weight. That suddenly comes into its own when traction is at a premium - like in mud and sand. Because six-wheeled off-roading is such a niche market, it falls on niche companies to build them or tuners to take existing SUVs or trucks and convert them. As a result, they are expensive and often taken to whole new levels of crazy. These are some of the craziest.
Is It Really Road Legal?
While, yes, the Ripsaw is a civilian market tank, its ability to crush any car before it makes its road worthiness dubious at best. Still, it is a credit to Howe & Howe Technologies to turn this, a vehicle that is meant to be remote-controlled, into anything resembling a civilian market tank to begin with. Sadly, if you want to pretend that you're sitting in a M1 Abrams on the way to your accountancy firm, we have bad news.
The whole idea of a tank is to be able to go over any terrain and crush things in its way, and giving that abIlitiy to the average citizen is something the government feels very strongly against. The Ripsaw is then relegated to being used as an off-road toy, for blasting across acres of land or skidding through privately owned forests. While we are sure some have tried, taking your Ripsaw for the local shopping trip is illegal, and your tank will quickly be impounded.
How Much Will It Cost You To Own One?
If you are not a large military force or militia, then your chances of getting a Ripsaw are very low. As we mentioned earlier, neither Howe & Howe Technologies, nor its parent company, Textron Systems, offer any sort of drivable, civilian version of the Ripsaw, instead focusing on the military and firefighting segments of the market. This means you will either need to purchase a pre-made civilian market Ripsaw, such as the one seen in The Fast and The Furious franchise, or commission one from Howe & Howe Technologies yourself. Pricing can vary wildly, but surprisingly, just as with a car, the best option is to wait and buy used.
The original Ripsaw tank from The Fate of the Furious did in fact come up for sale at the Mecum auctions in 2023. It claimed a lofty MSRP of around $750,000 new, and had an estimated price of $150,000 to $180,000, but went on to sell for a final bid of $242,000. Another famous sale of a Ripsaw occurred when youtuber Cletus McFarland listed his Ripsaw at $420,000 when he put it up for sale in 2022.
When it comes to servicing and maintenance, the powertrain is meant to be easy and cheap to service and repair. At the end of the day, most Ripsaw variants still use good old-fashioned Chevy diesel hooked up to an Allison automatic transmission. While there isn't exactly a service center for these vehicles, getting parts for the engine won't be difficult, and almost any transmission shop will service the gearbox. The rest of the parts on the Ripsaw are a different story, though. It is a niche product made in finite numbers. Getting a new windscreen housing will not be as simple as just going to your local parts store. The flip side to this is, at the end of the day, the thing is still a tank. Something made to tackle the throes of a frontline conflict should be able to stand up to some muddy off-roading in Florida.
By Lou Cataldo - Jan 28, 2025
Military Vehicles The Public Can Buy
Here at CarBuzz we usually like to talk about, well, cars, but we also know that sometimes your choice of vehicle may go slightly off the beaten track (literally and figuratively). And by that we don't mean the kind of off-road prowess provided by a Jeep Wrangler, or a Hummer EV SUV that can crab-walk itself across rough terrain.
Several vehicles formerly employed for military use, from snowmobiles to off-roaders and even tanks, are available on the market to be purchased by civilians, and could make a great addition to the garage of a history enthusiast. Some, like the Humvee and the original Willys Jeep, had civilian counterparts that became icons over the course of automotive history. In this list we have selected ten military vehicles available for purchase by the public, in case you want to park something on your drive that’s a bit more unusual than a Toyota Corolla.
FAQs
Is the Ripsaw Tank road legal?
While we wish it was true, the Ripsaw is, sadly, not road legal, instead being a fun off-road vehicle for use on private land.
How much is a Ripsaw Tank?
Prices can vary wildly from spec to spec, but you can expect to pay between $600,000 to $750,000 for your own civilian model new. On the used market, between $240,000 to $430,000 is the norm.
Is the Ripsaw used by the Military?
Yes, the US Military have been a big believer in the Ripsaw throughout the years, with the tank seeing testing and development with the group for the last 24 years. Only recently was it announced that, in May, testing would cease on the current RCV program, which the Ripsaw was a part of.
Sources: Howe & Howe Technologies, Textron Systems, Mecum, Cleetus McFarland
This article originally appeared on CarBuzz and is republished here with permission.
