But 15-year-old Peter Berrisford decided he wanted to leave Arthur Mellows Village School, in Helpston Road, Glinton, near Peterborough, with a bang, so he planned to make a grand entrance to his big do.

And nothing says "I've arrived" more than an 11-tonne tank.

The 1954 ex-army MK1 Saracen, to be precise, was the armoured vehicle of choice for the eight action men who – despite the camouflaged exterior – certainly made a spectacular arrival outside the Marriott Hotel, Peterborough.

The tank – the first-ever used for a prom night in Petebrorough – blitzed the traditional stretched limos, Porsches and Mercedes out of the water.

Peter explained: "I wanted to make a splash, and I had the idea of a tank.

"Through my contacts at the air cadets, I found this company and booked it.

"My brother just turned up to his prom night in a Vauxhall Astra, but we wanted to go down as legends for doing something unusual."

Snappily-dressed pal Tom Parks (16) said: "We like to be a bit different and, as you can see, we love the attention."

The boys battled to keep their entrance a surprise, and originally they were going to leave from the school, but a last- minute change saw them meet the tank at the Admiral Wells Pub in Holme, near Peterborough.

Drivers making their way home from work along the country roads were bemused to see the sight of a tank rattling along at 30mph with tuxedo-clad young men waving out of the hatch.

They arrived at the hotel in Lynch wood Business Park to be met by a scene straight from the Oscars, with pupils dressed up to the nines for the big day.

Shimmering in all event colours of the rainbow, they were stunned to see the lads arrive James Bond-style in an impressive machine.

Ellie Morson (16), who had arrived in a stretched limo, described their entrance as "very cool".

She said: "I really like it, but knowing them I'm not surprised. It is a pretty impressive way to arrive."

Commando Elite's Mark Smith provided the tank which he uses for paintball games and boasts an eight litre Rolls- Royce engine capable of a sprightly 47mph. The inside offered less luxury than a limo with eight seats bolted to the floor, and while in service in Ireland and Germany would have held three crewmen and three troops.

On arrival Peter said: "I think it's safe to say we made an impression."