Tank Museum to spruce up Mark I German Tiger Tank after winning £20,000 cash boost

One of the Tank Museum’s most famous exhibits has received a boost after it received a £20,000 grant from the Museums Libraries and Archives Council’s PRISM fund.

The Mark I German Tiger Tank, which was captured by the Royal Tank Regiment in Tunisia in 1943, has been under restoration at the Museum since 1998. In 2004 it became the first tank of its kind to be returned to running order since the war.

Now the grant will be used to continue the restoration of the iconic Nazi killing machine, which has been one of the most popular exhibits within its Designated Collection since it was handed to the Tank Museum in 1951.

Tank Museum Curator David Willey said the money would be used to "assess the impact of running this unique historic vehicle", adding that the Museum intends to  "return the tank to a more original condition". It was first disassembled as part of its evaluation during the Second World War.

The Tiger was one of the most feared German tanks of the Second World War. It outgunned and out-armoured all Allied armour – making it a formidable opponent for both soldiers and tank crews who faced it.

"Restoring the Tiger is not just of importance to our Museum," explained Museum Director Richard Smith. "Iit is an iconic symbol of tank technology and military might and is a powerful example of what our citizen soldiers had to meet and defeat in World War Two."

The restoration work will also provide the wider heritage sector with valuable insights into the issues and benefits of running mechanical historic items, striking a balance between the inevitable loss of originality and the increase in skills and visitor interpretation value.

The Fund for the Preservation of Industrial and Scientific Material (PRISM Fund) was established in 1973 and supports the acquisition and/or conservation of any object or group of objects illustrating the history and development of any branch of science, industry, technology and fields therein.