Published: May 29, 2019, 5:30 PM
Updated: November 21, 2021, 2:53 PM
Specking out a safer vehicle
Sometimes a theft alarm or the ability to track the movements of your vehicle just is not enough. Luckily, there are companies that will supply and/or customize a vehicle with the armour, security and protection measures you need. Following is a list of features you can get in your vehicle to protect your assets.
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Luxury armoured conversions
People who need the protection of an armoured vehicle usually have enough power and money to get something heavy and luxurious, which is why traditional armour conversions have been carried out on luxury marques such as Cadillac and Lincoln.
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Non-descript conversions
Most of today’s armour customizers, such as The Armored Group and INKAS, will convert just about anything from mid-size offerings such as Toyota Camrys right up to heavy-duty trucks. Basically, you supply the model and they will convert it. Naturally, the bigger the vehicle, the better the level of protection but you can get basic handgun and hand-grenade protection in just about any vehicle.
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Mercedes-Benz Guard
When you’re one of the best-known luxury marques in the world, you’re naturally going to be in demand by customers who not only want to showcase their wealth and/or power, but also safeguard against people who would want to claim what you have. That’s why Daimler created Mercedes-Benz Guard.
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Historic vehicles
Mercedes-Benz started armouring vehicles back in 1928, becoming the first company to factory-fit vehicles with bullet and explosive protection. One of the most famous made was the 1935 Grand Mercedes 770 for Emperor Hirohito of Japan.
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BMW Security Vehicles
When you’re a compatriot of one of the best-known luxury marques in the world, and no slouch yourself in vehicles that perform as well as they look, you’re going to follow suit in supplying the wealthy and powerful with vehicles to protect their assets. So, BMW created BMW Security Vehicles.
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Armour plating
The main purpose of protection vehicles is just that — protecting occupants in the cabin, so the first level of protection (and usually the only one required by anybody desiring protection from those who would do them harm) is plating to ensure nothing pierces through the vehicle body. The modifications are usually unnoticeable.
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Protection glass
Glass is harder to go unnoticeable because usually the only way to pierce-proof glass is to make it thicker or add more layers, laminating them together. Either way, it’s easier to spot and usually gives away that the rest of the vehicle is probably equally protected.
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Bulletproof
Many armour customizers will equip a vehicle with the desired amount of ballistic protection, depending on the type of vehicle, the perceived threat and how it will be used, anything from handgun attack to assault weapon to armour-piercing. The highest level of protection for civilian vehicles is VR10, ensuring that the body and glass must be able to withstand hardened steel-core bullets from an assault rifle.
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Bomb protection
Most armouring will protect against the impact of grenades and other small explosives but some improvisational devices may require a bomb-protection blanket to offer another level of protection. It can be integrated into the car panels or provided for occupants to wrap themselves up in. The standards for automotive explosive protection are not in the public domain, but a vehicle can be certified by government agencies (which usually leads to questions of “why do you need this level of protection?”).
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Fire protection
Just like racecars are fitted with a fire extinguishing system in case of a cockpit fire, so protection vehicles can be fitted with a way to put out flames, if it finds itself catching fire from an attack.
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Supplementary protection
Other levels of protection include back-up systems such as an added battery for emergency start situations, in case electrics are knocked out, and a fresh-air supply if you should find yourself the victim of a gas attack or at the bottom of a pond.
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Attack features
But sometimes, the best defence is a good offence, which is why some companies will equip a vehicle with features meant to deter attacks by attacking back. We’re all familiar with James Bond’s gadget-filled vehicles, well some of today’s real world conversions may not include tire shredders, but some of their features rival some fiction.
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Water cannon
To disperse crowds, there is nothing so harmless as a good powerful spray of water. It can do some damage but usually just keeps people at a safe distance from your vehicle. Mind you, you probably need something considerably more substantial than a Toyota Camry – something with the space to hold a water tank and some height to get up above the crowds.
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Smoke screen
Making a quick getaway sometimes calls for creating a smoke screen … literally. Companies such as Pea Soup will custom install smoke machines (actually foggers) that use a mixture of glycol sprayed at high pressure into a long-lasting mist, primarily to deter would be thieves around motorhomes or commercial vehicles.
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Flame thrower
Of course, where there’s smoke there’s sometimes fire and a South African customizer went so far as to fit flame throwers to vehicle underbodies, presumably to keep rioters at bay. You can get a small tailpipe flame fitment in the aftermarket but it’s illegal for street use in just about every jurisdiction. Still, soap bubbles don’t really have the safe effect, do they?
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Conquest Knight
At the end of the day, though, it may be in your best interest to purchase a tailor-made armoured passenger vehicle, such as the Toronto-made Conquest Knight that will deter anybody even getting close to it. The 10,000-kg sport utility can be powered by a GM gasoline V-8 or a Cummins turbodiesel to put all that low-end grunt to good use.
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