What do you get when you take one guy with more balls than brains, an area known for crazy tornadoes, and a budget you wouldn’t believe? You’d get this insane armored vehicle made to be driven into a tornado.
It’s called the TIV2 — Tornado Intercept Vehicle, second generation — and it weights 16,500 pounds, has bulletproof glass for the windows, and extra armor everywhere.
What’s really clever is the movable side panels that shunt down into the ground when a tornado approaches. They prevent the wind from getting under the vehicle to make it airborne.
The best part is it’s being constructed for an Imax documentary about tornadoes, and will get us the first shots from the inside of a twister. I will see this when it comes out.