Wealthy man buys Chinese army tank for cross-country race

A wealthy man in Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang province, who is said to boast his own Chinese army tank, reportedly plans to join a cross-country race by driving the seven-meter-long by two-meter-high vehicle.

The tank was seen at a wasteland by the city's Taijin expressway on Tuesday, where many cross-country rally fans were getting their SUVs ready for self-organized runs.

A man standing by the tank at the time claimed to be the owner's friend and said that the owner, surnamed Chen, bought a retired tank through unknown channels for between 200,000 yuan ($32,820) and 300,000 yuan, and spent an additional tens of thousands of yuan to fix it up and transport it to his home.

The man said that Chen is a cross-country rally enthusiast who decided to add the tank to his collection of vehicles for the purpose of using it to participate in the race.

Local police, who said that Chen's tank no longer belongs to the army, are investigating where Chen bought it and if it was purchased illegally.