From one viewpoint, the T-34 was not the "best", since one-on-one it was no match for the German Tiger tank.
The genius of the design of the T-34, was that it was a very effective tank that was so simple to make, that the Russians were able to make 57,000 of them. The same philosophy made the SKS and AK-47 rifles the most widely made semi-auto rifles in the world.
Indeed. The german 88 was perhaps the best gun of WWII. The T34
was very cheap to build, and got cheaper while being improved, was quite reliable, easy to service, very rugged. A characteristic of soviet
military engineering which didn't get carried forward to all their motor cars!
The Tiger tank was complex, expensive, and not that reliable.
Below a snip of from wikipedia on the T 34.
You can even get one cheap as your second car.
Aint it grand to be able to go so far off topic.
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The improved T-34-85 remained the standard Soviet medium tank with an uninterrupted production run until the end of the war. The Germans responded to the T-34 by introducing completely new, very expensive and complex second-generation tanks, greatly slowing the growth of their tank production and allowing the Soviets to maintain a substantial numerical superiority in tanks.[72] Production figures for all Panther types reached no more than 6,557, and for all Tiger types 2,027.[73] Production figures for the T-34-85 alone were 22,559. The T-34 replaced most light, medium, and heavy tanks in Soviet service. Its evolutionary development led directly to the T-44 and T-54/55 series of tanks, built until 1981 and still operated today.
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Surviving vehicles
Due to the large number produced, there are hundreds of surviving T-34s. Examples of this tank are in the collections of most significant military museums, and hundreds more serve as war memorials. Many are in private ownership, and demilitarised working tanks change hands for between $20,000 and $40,000 USD. Some still may serve in a second-line capacity in a number of Third World militaries, while others may find use in a civilian capacity, primarily in film making. For the movie Saving Private Ryan, two T-34 tanks were modified to resemble Tiger I tanks, due to the rarity of the latter vehicle. Several were used for the same purpose in Polish TV series "Czterej pancerni i pies". Most of them appeared in the third episode. Unlike "Ryan Tigers", as they came to be known, Tigers from the series had their road wheels covered, thus making the trick less obvious.
The durability of the T-34 is underlined by a recent restoration. In 2000, a T-34 Model 1943 was recovered that had spent 56 years at the bottom of a bog in Estonia.[74] The tank had been captured and used by retreating German troops, who dumped it in the swamp when it ran out of fuel. There were no signs of oil leakage, rust, or other significant water damage to the mechanical components. The engine was restored to full working order.[75]