Armored Vehicles for Sale: Yes, Civilians Can Buy Surplus MRAP APCs!
Collection of Blackwater Grizzly APCs for sale has us salivating.
South Jersey ClassicsPhotography
Photos Courtesy of South Jersey Classics
Classic, new, used, restomod, or custom cars and trucks—the world is your oyster when it comes to hunting down cool automobiles to own. There is an option, however, that just may beat all choices. Armored vehicles.
Perched menacingly alongside its usual collection of awesome vehicles, South Jersey Classics of Newfield, New Jersey, also has an inventory of armored vehicles for sale in the form of Blackwater Grizzly APC (armored personnel carrier) MRAP (mine-resistant ambush protected) trucks. We can't think of a cooler way to celebrate Independence Day and freedom than these bad boys—unless we include tanks in the mix.
Twenty-two-ton Blackwater Grizzly APC armored infantry vehicles, produced by the Blackwater Worldwide Company, were designed for modern warfare and combat and were commissioned by the U.S. government as a potential new vehicle for the U.S. Army. (The vehicle wasn't chosen for a government contract.) The surplus machines here, scooped up from Blackwater by South Jersey Classics, never saw combat time. They are technically prototypes and only have hundreds of miles on them.
Check out the details and photo galleries below that highlight one of South Jersey Classic's Grizzlies.
This Grizzly is titled as a 2008 GMC and is "street-legal," although states will differ in their willingness to register these as ordinary GMC vehicles. The fact that it has air brakes complicates matters for most Average Joes. And if you could get one registered—which, let's face it, is going to take some rule-bending—can you imagine seeing it on a local street, perhaps out during morning errands before parking gets too difficult? They will at least do highway speeds of 65 to 70 mph.
Statistics: This Blackwater Grizzly is 22.5 feet long; 8 feet, 5 inches wide (max street-legal width, for what that's worth); and 10 feet, 11 inches high. Curb weight checks in at 43,900 pounds (that's about six F-250s), max payload is 5,100 pounds, and the GVWR is a cement-crumbling 49,000 pounds.
The Blackwater Grizzly's armored exterior is as menacing as they come. Its angled, AR500 steel walls are able to handle .50-caliber rounds and surprise ambushes, while improvised explosive device (IED) blasts from underneath don't stand a chance thanks to its fully reinforced belly and enclosed drivetrain. (Potholes ain't got nothing on the Grizzly.) In addition to the armor, it has more hatches, gun ports, portholes, hooks, compartments, outlets, and lights than most civilians would know what to do with not to mention the roof turret capable of accepting a mounted machine gun.
Engine: This single-rear-axle, 4x4 Blackwater Grizzly is powered by a 330-hp Caterpillar C7 ACERT industrial diesel engine and backed by an automatic pushbutton Allison transmission. It has a mere 251 miles on the odometer. It's built on a custom Seagrave chassis rather than a commercial GMC truck chassis.
Interior: The interior is quite utilitarian and serves as a constant reminder that this is no ordinary commuter. It might as well be a fighter jet cockpit equipped with a cargo area in which to strap four fearless comrades. For a civilian to jump in and drive this machine is little more than cosplay, although it would be quite the privilege for anyone outside the Army to experience. It has a GMC dash with multitudinous knobs, toggles, and controls to activate the Grizzly's multitudinous features.
So, what's it cost to buy an armored vehicle? Owning a military-esque light tactical armored vehicle like the MRAP Blackwater Grizzly will could set you back six figures. We'd suggest you look under the seats of your far less macho daily driver for change to start throwing in the bank.