M8 Greyhound

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M8 light armored car
M8 Greyhound at the U.S. Army Armor & Cavalry Collection, Fort Moore (formerly Fort Benning), Georgia, 2023
Type	Armored car
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1943–present
Used by	See List of operators
Wars	World War II Chinese Civil War Korean War April Revolution Greek Civil War First Indochina War Cuban Revolution Algerian War Congo Crisis Vietnam War Cambodian Civil War Laotian Civil War Guatemalan Civil War Colombian conflict Internal conflict in Peru Iran-Iraq War
Production history
Designer	Ford Motor Company
Designed	1942
Manufacturer	Ford Motor Company
Produced	March 1943 – June 1945[1][page needed]
No. built	8,523 M8[2][3] 3,791 M20[1][page needed][3]
Variants	See Variants
Specifications
Mass	16,400 lb (7.4 t)[4]
Length	15 ft 5 in (4.70 m)[4]
Width	7 ft 7 in (2.31 m)[4]
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[4]
Crew	4 (commander/loader, gunner, driver, assistant driver) [3]
Armor	Up to 1 in (25 mm)
Main armament	1× 37 mm gun M6 80 rounds[5]
Secondary armament	1× .30 caliber (7.62 mm) Browning M1919 machine gun 1,500 rounds[5] 1× .50 caliber (12.7 mm) Browning M2HB machine gun 400 rounds[5]
Engine	Hercules JXD 6 cylinder 4-cycle inline gasoline engine[3] 110 hp (82 kW) at 3,200 rpm[3]
Power/weight	14.79 hp/metric ton
Transmission	Synchromesh 4 speeds forward, 1 reverse[3]
Suspension	Leaf spring
Ground clearance	11.4 in (0.29 m) under axles[4]
Fuel capacity	54 US gal (200 L)[6]
Operational range	100–250 mi (160–400 km) cross country 200–400 mi (320–640 km) on road
Maximum speed	55 mph (89 km/h) on road
Steering system	Steering wheel[3]

The M8 light armored car is a 6×6 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.^{[1][page needed]} The vehicle was widely exported and as of 2024^[update] still remained in service with some countries.^{[1][page needed]}

In British service, the M8 was known as the "Greyhound", a service name seldom, if ever, used by the US. The British Army found it too lightly armored, particularly the hull floor, which anti-tank mines could easily penetrate (the crews' solution was lining the floor of the crew compartment with sandbags). Nevertheless, it was produced in large numbers. The M8 Greyhound's excellent road mobility made it a great supportive element in the advancing American and British armored columns. It was marginal cross country, especially in mud.