Armored Beasts

More and more big guns (BMW, Mercedes, Land Rover …) offer armored versions of some of their models.

In addition to usual safety measures, these cars offer higher level of security. While luxury sedans are meant for business people and diplomats, of most interest are large SUVs, whose ability to go anywhere is coupled with full body armor and high tech gadgets. Those can literary mean the difference between life and death under an attack.

Under-floor KEVLAR protection, full body ballistic steel armoring and bullet resistant glazing protects against conventional attacks (bombs and machine guns, respectively).

Exhausts are tamper proof, those SUVs also have at least one additional camera (usually more, side and rear view cameras, for example).

Armoring materials used range from ballistic and blast steel to carbon weave materials such as Kevlar as well as non-metallic materials such as Dyneema. The glass is plasma cut, fixed on all four doors and up to 40mm thick to withstand attack. The thickness of the glass is virtually the only visual external clue that these cars are battlefield ready. All tires are capable to run flat, fuel tank has an added protection, passengers’ cabin has an independent oxygen supply and intercom system etc. Standard models of these SUVs are powerful, but armored versions are true beats. Prices are usually few times larger than those of its standard versions.

All of the extra material puts an extra weight on the car - its weight can reach 3,5tons! Due to its huge weight, the chasis, suspension and brake systems have to be fully retuned. Depending on the level of armoring, these SUVs can cope with attacks by hand guns, assault rifles or high velocity rifles right up to armor piercing weapons.