Major Donation Drives The Tank Museum’s King Tiger Fundraising Appeal Close to Halfway Point

A private £100,000 donation from William Bannister has propelled The Tank Museum‘s King Tiger V2 restoration fundraiser to reach nearly half of its £1 million target.

Restoration work is underway on King Tiger V2. (Photo Credit: The Tank Museum / Provided)

In September 2025, The Tank Museum announced its ambition to raise £1 million to restore the world’s oldest surviving King Tiger in existence. After just eight months of launching the appeal, supporters have rallied together to raise nearly half the amount of funds required to restore King Tiger V2 to as close as possible to the condition it was when it fell into Allied hands.

Built in December 1943 by Henschel, King Tiger V2 spent its entire service at Henschel’s testing facility in Germany. After being captured by the Allied forces, the tank was found fully stowed and ready to fight – although it’s not believed it ever fired a shot in anger.

The museum’s Workshop Team has commenced work on the restoration project, with solid progress being made so far. The most recent milestone was the removal of the final drives, enabling the team to prepare the hull to be washed, before putting on blocks to begin the removal of the road wheels.

Director of Curatorial Services Nick Booth said in a press release:

“We’re so grateful to William for his generous donation toward the restoration project of the unique King Tiger V2. We have worked with William for several years and his remarkable collection of historic vehicles often joins our own running fleet of vehicles during our live action displays.

“Restoring such a rare and historically significant Second World War tank is a complex and challenging undertaking. Not only is King Tiger the oldest in existence, but it’s also the only surviving King Tiger with a pre-production turret.

“Thanks to this donation, alongside the generosity of our other supporters, we are now closer to achieving our fundraising goal. However, we still have a way to go, and we are very grateful to any new supporters to help us reach our target.”

King Tiger V2, which is currently undergoing restoration. (Photo Credit: The Tank Museum / Provided)

More from us: The Tank Museum Releases New ‘Guide To’ Book About the Leopard 1

The public can follow the restoration journey on The Tank Museum’s Workshop YouTube channel, and they can support the project by visiting the museum’s website.

The post Major Donation Drives The Tank Museum’s King Tiger Fundraising Appeal Close to Halfway Point appeared first on warhistoryonline.

Major Donation Drives The Tank Museum’s King Tiger Fundraising Appeal Close to Halfway Point
Philippines Truth