control: group 1:airbag group 2:front spike group 3:back spike group 4:left headlights group 5:right headlights group 6:turret hatch group 7:headlight trim:hatch vtol:turret movement

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The Tornado Intercept Vehicle 1 (TIV 1) is a heavily modified 1997 Ford F-Series F-Super Duty cab & chassis truck used as a storm chasing platform and built by Sean Casey.[1] This heavily armored vehicle can drive into a weak to relatively strong tornado (EF0 to EF3)[citation needed] to film it and take measurements. Work began on the TIV in 2002 and took around eight months to finish, at a total cost of around US$81,000. TIV's armored shell consists of 1/8–1/4 inch steel plate welded to a two-inch square steel tubing frame. The windows are bullet resistant polycarbonate, measuring 1.5 in (38 mm) thick on the windshield and 0.5 in (13 mm) thick on the sides.[2] The TIV weighs approximately 14,000 lb (6,400 kg) fully loaded[3] and is powered by a 7.3 litre Ford Powerstroke turbocharged diesel engine manufactured by Navistar-International, otherwise known as the International T444E.[citation needed]

The vehicle includes air-ride suspension that, when deployed, drops the vehicle flush to the ground to prevent wind from getting under the vehicle. Four hydraulic claws were added at Discovery Channel’s request for safety, which are used to grapple onto the ground and anchor the TIV during an intercept. The vehicle's speed was limited by the factory Ford PCM, giving it a top speed of 100 mph (160 km/h).[4] The TIV has a fuel capacity of 60 US gallons (230 L), giving it a range of around 500 miles (800 km). The TIV is featured in a series called Storm Chasers which began airing on the Discovery Channel in October 2007.[5][6] TIV was succeeded in 2008 by TIV 2, but returned to service to finish out the first few chases of the 2008 storm chasing season after TIV 2 suffered mechanical problems. In a June 2011 interview with NPR's All Things Considered, Casey said that TIV was still in service and is designated as the backup vehicle in the event TIV 2 breaks down during a shoot.[7]

After no longer needing the vehicle, Casey abandoned the vehicle on a central Kansas farm.[8] Casey placed the TIV as a prize for a scavenger hunt, where the first one to find the TIV would be able to keep it.[9] Wichita-based storm chaser Robert Clayton found the vehicle in 2020, after searching for it on Google Earth.[10] Clayton's restoration plan for TIV 1 includes removing the claws and adding hydraulic anchoring spikes similar to TIV 2, repairing the air-ride suspension to drop TIV to the ground to prevent wind from getting underneath the vehicle, repainting the vehicle black, and adding instrumentation to collect data for future research.[citation needed]