Tank collector Jacques Littlefield, RIP

RIP, Jacques Littlefield, a legend in San Francisco machine art culture. Littlefield had the world's largest private collection of restored tanks and other military vehicles on his ranch in Portola Valley, California. The founder of the Military Vehicle Technology Foundation passed away earlier this month at the age of 59. (For more about Littlefield, see this 2003 article in the New York Times. Full photo above and many more viewable at Neil Mishalove's site.) By all accounts, Littlefield was always delighted to share his unusual hobby with the public. BB pal Karen Marcelo of Survival Research Laboratories (SRL) emailed me:

I was lucky enough to get a tour with a bunch of other SRL people in the 90s. amazing collection. he had 2 scuds at the time. we got to see this bridge building tank that he turned on for us! also anti-aircraft tanks with matching satellite truck, tanks from russia, britain, us, etc. he even has a huge pipe organ and built a separate earthquake proof building to house it and has a miniature steam train running thru his property that we got to ride.

Military Vehicle Technology Foundation

• [Mikeywin]

  @#2
  Yeah, it was the episode where they tried to tear two interlocked phone books apart; and only after using two of Mr. Littlefield’s armored vehicles were they able to do it. He seemed like a pretty cool dude..

• [caseyd]

  I was told he wrangled a deal to keep the de-militarized Scuds.

  All he had to do was drive them around his vast acreage in Portola Valley and hide them, when requested.

  Someone/thing/overlord would then test detection mechanisms.

• [xzzy]

  Any guy who not only collects and restores tanks, but allowed a couple of television celebrities to show up and use said tanks to tear up a phone book is clearly a credit to humanity. Sucks he’s no longer among us.

  It’s one thing to preserve history, but making it a living exhibit? That’s above and beyond.

  Granted a tank is a lot easier to let people touch than, say, artifacts from the moon missions. We don’t use the phrase ‘built like a tank’ for no reason.

  But it was still pretty generous of him.

• [airchinapilot]

  What a missed opportunity for a “‘Tanks a lot” headline!

• [Kimrod]

  Tanks for the memories, Jac! You’ll be missed…

• [Anonymous]

  I went on a tour of his house and vehicle collection in the 80s as part of a class at Stanford. It seemed a bit kooky to me at the beginning of the tour that he and his friends would regularly gather at his house to ride their gas-powered trains on the tracks in his backyard, but by the end, I was infected by his child-like enthusiasm and really appreciated that he was so willing to share his toys with others. I realized the true extent of his generosity when he offered the use of his Fisk pipe organ to the Stanford music department after the Loma Prieta quake severely damaged Memorial Church. (The room he built for his organ was carved into the bedrock so it wouldn’t be damaged by seismic activity. Amazingly, he couldn’t even play the organ!) I wasn’t much interested in his military vehicles, but envied the Ferrari Testarossa and Peterbilt he also owned.

  He was a friendly, funny, and immensely generous guy and I am so very saddened to read of his premature death.

• [jms3]

  My family was lucky enough to get a private tour of this collection a few years back. It was truly amazing.

• [IamInnocent]

  He was quite young to die but with all the tanking he did…

• [Anonymous]

  He used the throw the best 4th of July parties where he’d drive a tank over a junker car. Seriously.

• [Takuan]

  my kind of loon

• [wolfwitch]

  If I remember right- he was featured on a fairly recent Mythbusters too… :(

• [nanuq]

  It seems like the best way to honour his memory would be to use his collection to take over another country. They could name a city after him then.

• [hmhoek]

  My mom played trumpet at the inaugural concert for his pipe organ in 1990 or so. She dragged me up for the rehearsal, but didn’t tell me what I was in for. We got a private tour, from Jaques, of the workings of the organ and his toy model collection, which included an 1/4 scale (?) RC tank that he made that included a working flamethrower.

  After that, they got about their business of rehearsing and I was set loose in the house. The library was about the size of a basketball court and was filled with military books and a complete Oxford English Dictionary. After getting bored of that I wandered up the hill to the larval military collection. It was a four bay industrial garage, in which I saw a half track, a Ferrari, a 60s era Mustang and a bunch of other things that I didn’t really register. I forget if there was a tank.

  Minor trivia: The organ is by Fisk, which is the same builder that did the Stanford Memorial Church organ.

  So: RIP Jacques

• [tyler the perfect child]

  hmmm. so dr. robotnik shaved off his moustache. change has come indeed!

• [Anonymous]

  several years ago he hired my band to play at one of his july fourth parties. i witnessed him driving a tank over a junker car. i wished it had been my ’87 toyota corolla. :)

  he also had a very nice and huge pipe organ in his home. he seemed very extravagant but passionate about life. my heart goes out to his children.

• [David Voss]

  /If I remember right- he was featured on a fairly recent Mythbusters too… :(/

  Right – he lent Adam and Jamie a couple of tanks to pull some interleaved phone books apart.

• [Ugly Canuck]

  Now this is a good way to deploy spare cash.
  This man’s a good example to others.

• [Anonymous]

  I need to find a tank collector. I know where to find a Tiger tank in pristine condition.

  I am a 49 year old veteran of 2/2 Cavalry and know of a confirmed rumor of a Tiger 1 waiting to be found.

• [El_Caganer]

  A large Flickr photoset of the collection is located here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/seat850/sets/72157600281137126/

• [Liz Ditz]

  Jacques Littlefield’s Collection to Remain Intact and Activities to Continue

  Letter from the President
  Military Vehicle Technology Foundation
  January 20, 2009

  Portola Valley, Ca

  Dear Friends of the Military Vehicle Technology Foundation,

  I am sad to announce that our long-time friend, the Foundation’s founder, Jacques Littlefield, passed away on January 7, 2009. Shortly before his final hours he indicated satisfaction with the status and accomplishments of the Foundation and its most recent project, the just completed German Panther.

  Jacques acquired his first full-sized military vehicle, an M3A1 wheeled scout car, in 1975. By the late 1990s as the collection became more significant, he started to plan for its longer term preservation. In 1998, he created the Military Vehicle Technology Foundation (MVTF) as a non-profit corporation. The mission of the MVTF is to collect, preserve, restore, document and display armored fighting vehicles and their associated equipment. The MVTF serves the interests of authors, historians, educators, the defense industry, veterans groups, model makers and the entertainment industry.

  Over the last few years, Jacques and the board of directors had many discussions about the future of the MVTF. He made it clear that he wanted the Foundation and its activities to continue after his death. Last week, his children agreed that the Foundation should continue to develop, preserve and display the vehicles and the current items will be named the Jacques M. Littlefield Collection. Jacques’ family, the staff of the MVTF, and the board were all greatly heartened by the expressions of interest in the future of the MVTF following the announcement of his death.

  The Board of Directors of the MVTF met following Jacques’ death and elected new officers to continue his work. With the agreement and support of Jacques’ children, the MVTF will continue to be housed at its current location in the hills above Portola Valley. Access to the collection by interested researchers and groups remains a critical element to continuing to fulfill the MVTF charter and mission. Therefore, many restoration projects, display enhancements and the tours will continue.

  In his will, Jacques created an endowment for the MVTF that will allow us time to transition to a self sustaining organization. The Board and the friends of the MVTF now have the opportunity and substantial responsibility to increase the endowment and manage the operating costs to ensure that Jacques’ legacy collection continues to be available to provide its unique contributions.

  If you would like to make a donation to the MVTF in Jacques’ memory and help preserve, display and have access to the Jacques M. Littlefield Collection, please consider sending a contribution to:

  MVTF
  P.O. Box 7390
  Menlo Park, CA 94026

  The MVTF is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)3 corporation. Donations are considered fully tax-deductible as allowed by law.

  I hope you will join us in preserving and advancing Jacques’ legacy.

  Sincerely,

  William A. (Bill) Boller
  President
  Military Vehicle Technology Foundation

  Email addresses:

  To make arrangements for tours:
  [e-mail]

  To arrange access to the collection for commercial purposes:
  [e-mail]

  For any other issues:
  [e-mail]

• [mikelotus]

  He has been on several History Channel shows on restoring of tanks. I am curious what will happen to his collection.