| Get tanked up: Armour your car |
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| Written by Philip Sen | |
| Thursday, 20 November 2003 | |
 Having security personnel is not enough to protect you from bombs, bullets and rockets while you're on the move. Behold the season of the personal tank, cocooning presidents and kings as well as the rich and famous.
The world is a dangerous place. Witness the security exercise surrounding President George Bush’s state visit to the UK. Since 11 September, grenades at Gatwick, missiles at Mombasa and bombs in Bali have left many of us feeling less safe than ever before under today's enigmatic terrorist threat.  38mm Isoclima glass will do its best to keep out rounds from an AK47 So what can you do to protect yourself when you step out the door? It is well-known that outside the fortified sanctuaries of their homes and offices, high-profile figures are most at risk while on the move. John F Kennedy is the obvious example. Afghan leader Hamid Karzai narrowly escaped assassination when his car was attacked last September. Britain's defence attaché in Greece, Brigadier Stephen Saunders, was not so fortunate; he was murdered on the road by “November 17” terrorists in June 2000. The threat is real - and the answer is armoured protection. They may not look any different from standard models on the outside, but on the inside most motors employed to ferry royalty or heads of state about are veritable tanks. Steel plating, bullet-proof glass and the additional reinforcements necessary to drive a vehicle with these add-ons are just the tip of the iceberg. A whole industry has grown around these customised cars, and for a price you can have one too. The armour players Global armoured vehicle sales manager for Jaguar and Land Rover, Nick Youdan, explains that while around 40 per cent of his customers are royalty, heads of state, top-ranking politicians, diplomats and other officials; the remainder tend to be businessmen, celebrities and any other private citizen with reason to fear for their well-being. And since 11 September, he says, there has been a marked increase in business. “People are re-assessing their security needs,” he says. Mercs and 4x4 offroaders are the most common vehicles to receive the armour treatment, though some firms may take on Rolls-Royces and BMWs. Ford is working on schematics for an armoured version of the new Jaguar X350. Purchasing an armoured vehicle, whether a rugged offroader or a slick saloon, is a very personal process. A limo looks the part for a head of state, Youdan points out, but a Range Rover "boxed in" during an emergency can climb a 10-inch kerb or drive out of trouble across a ploughed field. Only a handful of companies (American firm O'Gara Hess & Eisenhardt is the biggest) specialise in this kind of VIP protection, and their primary concern is security. First, they establish a one-to-one relationship with the customer themself, and verify they are who they says they are. Sales director at exclusive Belgian armourers Carat Duchatelet, Benoît Ceulemans, says that it is preferable to cut out the middleman to help prevent the bad guys learning their secrets. Then follow “deep discussions” to define the client's request, not just for protection but also comfort and luxury. “Our customers tend to like cars,” says Ceulemans, “and want some kind of special interior design. They like tailor-made cars.” One-off hand-finished leather and marquetry details are de rigueur. The firm recently delivered a 1 million euro armoured Mercedes to a customer who demanded the inside be decorated with 3 kilos of gold inlay. Requests for diamonds set in the dashboard or gear stick are not uncommon, Ceulemans adds. The mean machine Once authenticity and order details are established, the next step is to obtain the vehicle itself. Carat Duchatelet specialises in Mercedes Benz S-Class cars (W220) and limousines, which can either be taken off the production line or converted from the customer's own car. Models bought directly from Land Rover may be taken aside to receive the first extras, such as reinforced suspension, different brakes, dampers and electrics in the Solihull factory. The basic chassis and body is then taken to the armourer's workshop. For this, Land Rover employs O'Gara Hess subsidiary Armour Mobile Security situated in Lamballe, Brittany, while Carat Duchatelet runs its own in Liège. In either location, the vehicle is placed on a special rig and stripped to the bone. Panels of high-grade steel or materials such as ceramics or aramids are fitted to the doors, roof and floor of the car and windows are replaced with bullet-proof glass, such as the 38mm Isoclima variety from Italy. New door hinges are required to prevent them from buckling under the extra weight. The anti-ballistic accoutrement The minimum benchmark of "ballistic protection" as defined by Nato and various military and government agencies is known as "B6". A car fitted with B6 armour can keep out standard 7.62mm bullets from an AK-47 Kalashnikov rifle of the kind that has flowed into Western Europe from the former Yugoslavia. The armour should also defeat bomb blasts and shrapnel, perhaps the most common threat to the VIP. For an additional fee, Carat Duchatelet can upgrade this to resist even armour-piercing rounds. Land Rover hope to offer the same soon. Other modifications are integrated alongside, all the time with periodic inspections by the client. The vehicle is reassembled and rigorously tested by independent consultancies such as QinetiQ (formerly part of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency) or the Royal Military Academy in Brussels.  Land Rovers are a favourite first choice for the rich at risk The otherwise secret process generally takes at least four months, and adds significant weight to the vehicle (one tonne to a Range Rover, 1.5 to two tonnes for a Mercedes S-class), necessitating braking and suspension modifications. However, the manufacturers claim that speed and handling are only imperceptibly impaired, and just as importantly, an armoured vehicle is virtually indistinguishable from its mass-produced brethren. The price for peace of mind is not insubstantial either. Expect to pay at least 250,000 euros for the modifications, not withstanding any extras you may require. VIPs and other high-profile figures are jumping on the armoured bandwagon in greater numbers than ever. The Beckhams are the latest stars to order armoured runabouts after last year's kidnap conspiracy scare. Land Rover is even in discussions with car rental agency Hertz to offer a couple of models for short-term hire. Driving a state-of-the-art, 3.5 tonne armoured luxury vehicle may not be for everyone, but it could be one way to get through the traffic. The Duchatelet story In 1968, luxury custom car enthusiast Frederic Duchatelet drove his re-fitted Porsche to the south of France, returning to Belgium by train after it was snapped up by a passing admirer. Thus began the company originally famed for its designer interiors and now specialising in top-quality VIP protection. Sales director Benoît Ceulemans claims that at least 90 per cent of customers are heads of state and that the order book is virtually full until December 2004. Not only does Carat Duchatelet fit its "shell within a shell" armour and upgrade the chassis and suspension to carry it - "The brakes are re-built with technology borrowed from formula one," boasts Ceulemans - like other armour workshops it offers a plethora of optional extra features. Digital cameras in the front and rear help the driver monitor suspicious vehicles and traffic, and help him steer out of trouble if the windscreens are obscured by cracks after bullets strike - or the backseat passenger has drawn the curtain. Since the armoured shell is only effective while you are inside, an intercom system allows the passengers to speak to people outside without unwinding the windows. A bomb detector can sense the magnetic field variation caused by some kinds of device, though the floor is specially reinforced against this threat. An oxygen bottle in the trunk can keep the passengers breathing for 20 minutes in the event of a gas attack. There is also back-up battery to keep the electrics and air conditioner going. Re-enforced bumpers allow the chauffeur to ram other cars off the road to enable a swift getaway. A version of the Michelin 'PAX' run-flat system, specially developed for Mercedes Benz and Carat Duchatelet, enables the vehicle to drive on for 50 to 100 kilometres at 80-100 KPH even after bullets and shrapnel have flattened all four tyres. “It is not very comfortable but you keep control,” comments Ceulemans. Hoses and sprinklers fitted around the car extinguish fires while a self-sealing fuel tank prevents petrol leaks from exacerbating any problems. If escaping from the mobile fortress finally becomes necessary, a thin strip of plastic explosive blows an escape hatch through the rear windscreen in the same way a jet canopy shatters before the pilot ejects. An armoured Mercedes remains a working vehicle, but wealthy connoisseurs can ask for their every whim. From drinks holders and minibars to 42-inch LCD screens for the DVD player and Internet connection; ask and it can be done. Cars have been made with a bed inside, and the firm's craftsmen will take a moulding of the client's back to specially shape the seats (naturally with his own choice of leather) to his statesmanlike physique. With a touch of Ian Fleming, Carat Duchatelet can even fit the ultimate custom car with three launchers for strictly defensive smoke or stun grenades. “We try to think of everything,” says Ceulemans, “and everything is possible so long as there is room in the car.” Related Items:
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