TIV-2 (Tornado Intercept Vehicle 2)isan armored vehicle specially designed to chase and film tornadoes at very close range, even from within the tornado itself, using IMAX cameras. The vehicle was designed by film director and storm chaser Sean Casey and made famous through the Discovery Channel series, Storm Chasers . In 2011, the TIV-2 was actively used to shoot Sean Casey's IMAX film Tornado Alley , which was released worldwide on March 18, 2011. TIV-2 Key Information in 2011:Function: Serves as an armored “walking tripod” to safely place an IMAX camera in the path of a tornado for unique footage.Design & Features:Built on a commercial truck chassis (originally a Dodge Ram 3500) and heavily modified with a steel frame and steel plates.It had ten wheels (6x6 configuration, later 6x4) for better off-road capability than its predecessor, the TIV-1.Equipped with a hydraulic cover that can be lowered to the ground to prevent tornado winds from getting under the vehicle and lifting it.The windows are made of 1 5/8 inch thick bulletproof polycarbonate and tempered glass to protect the crew from flying debris.It has a 360-degree rotating IMAX camera tower at the top.Important Activities in 2011:On April 27, 2011, the TIV-2 team intercepted a large EF4 tornado near Enterprise, Mississippi. This was the first tornado recorded with the new stereoscopic IMAX cameras on board the vehicle.As of June 2011, the older TIV-1 was still being prepared as a backup vehicle in case the TIV-2 experienced mechanical problems during filming. TIV-2 continued to serve for several hurricane seasons, including intercepting another major tornado in 2013, before being sold by Sean Casey in 2019 and completely restored by its new owner.