Power for the M8 family was supplied through a Hercules JXD 6-cylinder, water-cooled, gasoline-fueled engine developing 110 horsepower and fitted to the rear of the hull. The powerplant drove power to all three axles which provided the vehicle with a top road speed of 56 miles per hour in ideal conditions, though less so when going cross-country. Operational ranges were within 350 miles and the suspension system consisted of leaf springs. All told, the M8 weighed between 7.8 and 8.5 tons making for a lightweight design, sporting a running length of over 16 feet with a width over 8 feet and a height of nearly 7.5 feet. Her design was such that she offered a low profile to enemy gunners and could be relatively easily concealed in high brush and the like.
In action, the M8 proved its robustness, adaptability and reliability in the field. The engine and transmission system proved well-mated and operational performance was excellent for the role - particularly off road. However, the type was lightly armored and early production forms lacked substantial floor armor protection, making the M8 highly susceptible to landmines, improvised bombs or anti-tank weapons. In response (as with the M4 Sherman Medium Tanks) crews began adding sandbags to the vehicle floor to help absorb these blasts and it was not uncommon for sandbags or similar obstructions to be added to the exterior of the vehicle. The open-air turret also did little to help the M8 initially find favor with crews. This design detail exposed the turret crew to unnecessary enemy fire or artillery spray as well as adverse weather conditions. The turret was also traversed through manual means which made quick reactionary movements when engaging enemy targets near-impossible in the heat of battle.
Beyond the standard and well-known armored scout car production model there existed the "M20" variant. The M20 was nothing more than the M8 with its turret system altogether removed to make for an open-air fighting compartment. Defense would be handled by a single machine gun along a flexible ring. The compartment area could have bench seating installed for extra personnel or left empty to ferry supplies to and fro. The M20 could then be utilized as a command and liaison vehicle with consideration given for its use as a fast personnel carrier. It was originally designated as the M10 in 1943 though, to avoid confusion with the existing M10 Gun Motor Carrier tracked tank destroyer, the designation was reverted back to M20 as the "Armored Utility Car M20". The M20 did prove a viable battlefield concept all its own and production rivaled that of the base M8 scout cars by war's end.
Ford was the primary defense contractor of all production M8 and M20 vehicles, producing some 15,458 examples into 1945. 11,667 were of the M8 models and 3,791 became the M20 making the Greyhound the most numerous of all the available American armored scout cars of the war. Production ceased in April of 1945.
The M8 Greyhound soldiered on in the post-war world, thanks both to its strong showing in the war and its "strength in numbers" owing to the sheer quantity examples produced. Amazingly, some operational M8s were still in service in the latter portion of the century, making the M8 one of the longest-serving military vehicles in history. In addition to combat actions in World War 2, the M8 was used in the Korean War (1950-1953).
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