In the history of severe weather documentation, the Tornado Intercept Vehicle 2, commonly known as TIV 2, stands as a defining piece of storm chasing engineering. Designed by IMAX filmmaker Sean Casey to replace the original TIV, work began in September 2007 with forty welding students in Lawton, Oklahoma. Built to carry an IMAX camera directly into the core of a tornado, the vehicle was engineered to address its predecessor's flaws by adding ground clearance, a 625-horsepower 6.7-liter Cummins diesel engine, and a significantly higher top speed of over 100 mph. Here are the answers to the most common questions about this legendary intercept vehicle.
How Much Does the TIV 2 Weigh?
When it debuted in 2008, the TIV 2 weighed a massive 16,500 pounds. After mechanical failures plagued its first season on the Discovery Channel, the team overhauled the armor to reduce weight. Less critical steel areas were swapped for aluminum, and vital sections were reinforced with a composite of thin steel, Kevlar, polycarbonate, and rubber. This brought the weight down to a highly functional 14,300 pounds. Built on a modified Dodge Ram 3500 chassis, the body consists of a 1/8-inch steel skin welded over a 2-inch square tubing frame, with windows made from 1.63-inch bullet-resistant interlayered polycarbonate and tempered glass.
How Does the TIV 2 Deploy in a Tornado?
To prevent violent winds from getting underneath the chassis and flipping the vehicle, the TIV 2 utilizes a multi-step active deployment system. First, an air suspension system lowers the entire vehicle closer to the ground. Next, hydraulic skirts drop down to deflect wind over the armored shell and protect the undercarriage from flying debris. Finally, hydraulic spikes drive deep into the ground to anchor the vehicle in place. This system is incredibly resilient. On an episode of MythBusters, the TIV 2 was parked behind a Boeing 747 and subjected to 250 mph engine thrust (equivalent to an EF5 tornado). Aside from slightly bent anchoring spikes, the vehicle survived intact.
How Much Did the TIV 2 Cost?
While the initial fabrication costs involved thousands of hours of labor and expensive raw materials heavily subsidized by IMAX production budgets, the ultimate market value of the famous interceptor was surprisingly accessible. After years of chasing, Sean Casey listed the fully functioning TIV 2 on Craigslist in October 2019 for just $35,000. It was purchased by storm chaser Ryan Shepard. Shepard's team restored the vehicle, and it returned to active service tracking supercells across the Great Plains under the sponsorship of Storm of Passion and Live Storm Chasers.
What Was the Main Purpose of the TIV 2?
Unlike radar trucks designed for scientific data collection, the primary mission of the TIV 2 was to capture IMAX footage from inside a vortex using its custom rotating turret. Casey secured his definitive IMAX shot in a 2009 intercept near La Grange, Wyoming. The vehicle also survived a terrifying intercept in May 2013 near Lebanon, Kansas. During that event, debris damaged the anemometer and breached the crew compartment, blowing open the roof hatch and a door in 150 to 175 mph winds. The vehicle continues to chase today; in April 2026, it intercepted an erratic tornado near Braman, Oklahoma, and even stopped to assist Reed Timmer's stuck Dominator 3.