So you like cold starts? How about the resurrection of a 750-horsepower V12 tank engine that’s been asleep for two decades? This video delivers exactly that: the legendary Continental AVDS-1790-2DR coming to life for the first time in 20 years, and it does not disappoint.
This beast powered the M88 Armored Recovery Vehicle, the muscle behind tank recovery operations. Think of it as the battlefield tow truck from hell. The AVDS-1790-2DR is an air-cooled, twin-turbocharged, 12-cylinder diesel engine, developed for heavy armored platforms like the M88 and earlier Patton tanks. Built to take abuse, keep cool without water, and move 60+ ton vehicles across any terrain.
It’s a direct descendent of the gasoline AV-1790 used in early tanks. The diesel version increased torque, reduced fire risk, and made field operations more efficient. You could swap one out in the field, bolt it into an M88, and get rolling again.
Tech Heads Take Note:
- Displacement: 1790 cubic inches (29.3L)
- Power: ~750 HP at 2,400 RPM
- Torque: Enormous. Like, pull-a-tank-out-of-a-swamp enormous
- Weight: Over 3,000 lbs, dry
This thing is massive. You don’t just start it. You unleash it.
One critical detail: there are no cooling fans running during this test. That has commenters raising eyebrows—and rightly so. These engines are designed to operate with a massive fan moving air across finned cylinders. But for a brief test fire? It’ll survive.
Bottom line? If you’ve ever wondered what 29 liters of military diesel fury sounds like after 20 years of silence, this is your answer. Pure tank soul. Turn up your speakers!