We've seen many vehicles make it to the big screen or the television screen and become almost as famous as the leading celebrities. While some remained intact, others underwent various

car modifications

to fit their role.

The TIV model was built to chase storms, but what was unique about it and made it so popular on the show? Let's take a look.

What’s the car from ‘Storm Chasers’?

A Discovery Channel series Storm Chasers was introduced in 2007 and revolved around a team of people chasing after tornadoes.

The leader, Sean Casey, was a filmmaker looking to get some specific film shots and came up with a way to do that using a specially designed automotive unit called the TIV, which stands for Tornado Interceptor Vehicle.

The first generation of this Storm Chasers’ car was a tank-like vehicle that was modified from a 1997 Ford F-450, which was stripped down to nothing but the chassis and an engine. A whole new frame was welded together from steel to withstand high winds, debris, and even hail from the storms they would end up chasing.

The Storm Chasers TIV began its modifications in 2003, and it took a total of three months to complete. The price to build it isn't really known, but it's estimated to be around $80,800.

The vehicle had a 7.3-liter turbo diesel engine, which produced 215 hp and maxed out at 65 mph. A diesel would allow the unit to

last a long time

The Storm Chasers’ car also had a two-wheel drivetrain, six wheels, and two axles, and weighed approximately 15,000 lbs.

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What was the TIV 2?

Discovery signed Storm Chasers on for a second season, and they were ready with the second generation of the TIV, which had some pretty nice improvements over its predecessor.

The engine in the new Storm Chasers’ car was a 6.7-liter Cummins turbodiesel that could generate 625 hp, the same one seen in many

Dodge Ram pickups

They built the vehicle off of the frame of an old Dodge one-ton pickup truck. The new car from Storm Chasers had an all-wheel drivetrain with ten wheels installed on three axles and a weight of around 16,500 lbs, according to the

Storm Chasers Fandom

website.

The problem with the weight is that the extra pounds broke one of the axles.

The team had to put the TIV 2 model aside to make repairs, which took the rest of the season to do. Once it was fixed, the model came back to finish out the show's third season. After the repairs were made, the vehicle had dropped some weight down to 14,300 lbs.

MORE:

Classic Cars That Stole The Show

How could the Storm Chasers’ vehicle handle rough tornado weather?

In order to tackle the harsh tornado weather the Storm Chasers’ car would be getting into, the team had steel plating surrounding the frame from front to back, with ⅛-inch hinge steel covering up the wheel wells to protect the tires.

According to

How Stuff Works

, all four doors had two layers of thick plating that would lock when shut with heavy bolts.

The side windows were made of strong Lexan Resin, while the windshield had scratch-resistant Lexan laminate material.

The camera was well-protected as well. The team built a military-style turret surrounding it so that it could take pictures from 360-degree shots, capturing images from all angles possible.

MORE: What Are the Best Movie Cars of All Time?

How you can protect your vehicle from harsh weather conditions

Without a specially made tank-like vehicle to chase a tornado down, you’ll want to consider driving the other way when bad weather rolls around. However, if you get in a bad storm, you should have the best protection possible with a car insurance policy.

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can find one for you that best suits your unique needs but won't cost a ton of money. Sign up with our service and see what options we can come up with for you. Then all you need to worry about is choosing which one works with your budget.

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