The Wheatcroft Collection
The Wheatcroft Collection in the United Kingdom is a large and important collection of historical softskin and armoured military vehicles. It is located in Leicestershire, England, and is one of the largest private collections of military vehicles in the world.
Items in the collection
The collection has around 200 items, including more than 130 vehicles, of which 88 are tanks. The majority of the collection is of German, American and British origin, with a smaller number of vehicles from Norway, Japan, France, Russia and Sweden. The owner of the collection, Kevin Wheatcroft, has been collecting military vehicles for 30 years.Allied WWII vehicles
Amongst the projects being undertaken is the restoration of ten M4 Sherman tanks, bringing the total number of Shermans in the collection to 15. Each of the ten are planned to receive a matching engine correct for the variant. Eight early Wright Continental R975 C1 radial engines were found in a barn, and subsequently purchased for the collection, all are scheduled to be restored. Another R975 was sourced from South Africa, described as being in mint condition.Existing Shermans include an 'Easy Eight', with cast chassis, D82081 turret, 76mm gun, HVSS suspension, and sharp nosed differential cover. The collection is expected to include all major Sherman variants and an M10 tank destroyer once restorations are complete.
The collection also includes two Churchill tanks.