The G-Wagen isn’t the only Mercedes model popular among armored vehicle buyers.
One of the major goals of any armored
car build is for it to be indistinguishable
from a non-armored car. That means
armor must go inside, not outside. Left,
an armorer works on overlaps.as ballistic composites and ceramics and
aluminum, boron, and silicon carbides
aren’t uncommon. Transparent armor
consists of several layers of polyurethane,
polycarbonate, and glass ranging in thick-
ness from as little as three-quarters of an
inch to more than 3 inches, depending on
the application.
With the vehicle stripped, the
engineering team gets to work fitting the
opaque armor, with special attention
paid to keeping the car’s center of gravity
low while also providing the protection
necessary to keep occupants safe in case of
attack. That typically means fitting mate-
rials such as Kevlar and steels in the floor
and thicker body panels and around the
frame, though it all depends on the partic-
ular vehicle and armor level required.
Once the vehicle shell is completed, the
team moves on to transparent armor,
replacing the automotive glass with layers
of bullet-resistant laminates. The final
step of the armoring process is to integrate
what are known as “overlaps” into the
vehicle. “Overlaps are a thin band that goes
around the perimeter of the door or on the
frame of the vehicle that prevents rounds
entering the vehicle within the seams of
the door,” Khoroushi said.
With the armor complete, the team
moves on to reassembling the vehicle.Special attention is paid to making the
now-armored car look stock both inside
and out. Alpine employs specialized
teams of upholsterers (other armoring
companies employ similar teams) that
are trained to match factory fit, finish,
and even stitching—not necessarily
an easy task on vehicles such as the
Bentley Bentayga, Lamborghini Urus,
or Rolls-Royce Phantom, all of which
Alpine armors.
The whole armoring process takes
about four to six weeks from start to
finish, though a vehicle type that hasn’t
been armored before might take eight to
10 weeks. Prices, obviously, depend on
the base vehicle and armor level. A Toyota
Camry XSE V6 ($35,990 to start) armored
at the A4 level to withstand submachine
gun rounds (typically the lowest armoring
level Alpine Armoring does) could cost
you about $75,000 all in. Something like
an unoptioned Bentayga, on the other
hand, could carry a total cost well north of
$400,000 if armored to the highest level.
Most customers opt for a vehicle rated to
withstand assault rifle rounds (A9) and
wind up spending a total of $85,000 to
$150,000 for their finished vehicle.
Pricey, sure, but as those who travel
regularly in high-threat environments
know all too well, life is priceless. Q60 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2021
FEATURE I Armored Vehicles