The last time anyone saw the Italian tank Fiat 2000, which was among the leading tanks during World War I, was when the fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini, was busy invading the country of Abyssinia, while the German Nazi dictator, Adolf Hitler, was hosting Berlin Olympics in 1936. After more than 80 years have passed, a group of enthusiastic Italians rebuilt the tank from scratch, expressing its appreciation for what it calls "an engineering miracle." "You have to be a little crazy to do it, but a passion for mechanics leads you to that and more," said Giancarlo Marin, a businessman residing in the northeastern region of Veneto, who sponsored the project. "I was born mechanically and I will die mechanically," said Marin, who is 80 years old. "What is going on in my veins is not blood but fuel, when they presented the idea to me, my adrenaline ratio jumped to 100." It is noteworthy that Marin's job, which he exercises on a daily basis, is the management of the industrial equipment company, Safecom. He also founded the Armed Forces Museum (1914 and 1945) in his hometown of Montecchio Maggiore, east of Venice. Thus he joined the "Fiat 2000" project.
The tanks were the largest innovation during the period of World War I, and the British were the first to use them in the battle, followed by the French and the Germans. Italy joined the war in 1915, to fight alongside Britain and France against Austria. The "Fiat 2000" was developed at a time that was too late to be used in the war.
However, the tank was impressive, weighing about 40 tons, with a stiffer armor than its competitor, and was equipped with seven machine guns and a 65-milligram cannon overlooking a rotating tower.
"At that time, it was the best Italian technology on offer," Marin said. Only two tank models were made, and only one was used after World War I in Libya, which was then an Italian colony, and was left there, while the other tank was photographed for the last time in an army barracks in Bologna in 1936. And the abyssian historian, Andrea Seionchi, recounted The story of the tank "Fiat 2000" three years ago in the newspaper "La Stampa".
The National Tanker Federation of Italy and the "SPA Militaire", a group of archaeologists of old military vehicles, decided to rebuild the tank.
We were able to collect 35,000 euros (39,000 dollars) through an online campaign, and they got the idea of the shape and dimensions of the tank after obtaining the old plans, a miniature model and pictures from that period. However, given the price of all required steel quantities, the project remained confined to the drawing board, until Marin joined in late 2018 with money and the workshop, where it became possible to build the similar version. Marine refuses to say how much the project cost him, he is only joking about the "sacrifice" he and others have made by setting aside their spare time for the tank instead of their wives.
He said, "Over the past two years, we haven't spent much time with our women." The Fiat 2000 tank is now almost complete, and it works although it is still missing some covers, and it is clearly not armed, and the enthusiastic plan is to display it in the Armed Forces Museum, hoping to increase the number of visitors.
Part of the fun
Marine, right now, and others play with the tank on weekends.
Marin said: "We had a small accident, it is very big, and it does not allow us to see well from the driving place, so we hit a boiler that was in the workshop," stressing that "the whole thing is part of the fun."
However, he stresses that his interest in tanks and other armored vehicles stems more from his passion for mechanical engineering than provoking wars.
He added: «For me, it is important that (Fiat 2000) did not cause any harm during the First World War, as I consider it a wonderful project by (Fiat).
The last time the Fiat 2000 tank was seen when Mussolini was busy invading Abyssinia, while Hitler was hosting the Berlin Olympics in 1936.
Funder of the project: "I was born mechanically and I will die mechanically. What is going on in my veins is not blood but fuel."