Knowledge Base

Most of the Eastern Bloc wheeled armoured vehicles, whether Soviet, Russian, Czech, Slovak, Polish or Hungarian were produced in gasoline versions. The only one of the tracked carriers, the GTSM, was equipped with a gasoline engine, whereas all remaining tracked vehicles were diesel-fuelled. Russian vehicles had to be able to start under any conditions and above all in extreme cold, so they were designed to be both powerful and simple to use. What is more, the Russians were not very troubled with engine fuel consumption. All Soviet gasoline engines were therefore based on a multi-fuel system. This means you can pump 35 different kinds of fuel, including ethanol, into your carrier (although one would have to take the engine wear-and-tear into account). Wheeled armoured vehicles running on diesel were very rare - nevertheless, the Soviets and the Czechoslovaks occasionally produced diesel-powered wheeled armoured vehicles such as the OT-64. More sophisticated in their construction, the diesel engines today attract collectors not only for their personality and beautiful sound but also for their economical advantage. Like the gasoline versions, diesel-equipped armoured vehicles are multi-fuel - they can even run on rapeseed oil. In the winter, usage of the inbuilt heat-up system which pre-heats the cooling fluid up to 40 deg C is strongly advised for engine damage prevention. Gasoline APCs: BRDM-2, BTR-60 Diesel APCs/Tanks, BMP-1, OT-810, OT-64, OT-62, MT-LB, 2S1 GVOZDIKA,  Praga V3S, SAURER 4K 4FA, T-72, T-55, T-34.