Rolls-Royce makes some of the most luxurious and expensive cars in the world, but are they bulletproof?
While you can buy a stock Rolls-Royce and have it lined with armor, there are no Rolls-Royce models that come with bulletproof plating as standard. It costs a considerable amount to make a Rolls-Royce bulletproof, and plenty of important people around the world have done it.
Read on to learn more about armored cars, Rolls-Royce, and how much it costs to have one made bulletproof.
This Time, Baby, I’ll Be Bulletproof
In recent years, armored and bulletproof (or ‘bullet-resistant’) cars have seen a surge in popularity. There are some places in a world where just a standard, stock vehicle won’t cut it, and you’ll need to invest in something a little safer.
It’s thought that the first true armored car was created in 1899, and it was little more than a steel box built around a mediocre engine. As time went by and feats of engineering improved, the concept of an armored moving vehicle was explored at length.
For instance, the first battle tanks saw combat in World War I, with Little Willie being unveiled by England in 1915. It was a considerable failure of a vehicle, almost incapable of traversing adverse terrain and boasting a top speed of just two miles-per-hour.
However, one year later the English government had introduced Big Willie to the theatre of war, a formidable machine loaded with potential. The introduction of the tank was a great success and when World War II rolled around two decades later, tanks would shape the field of battle.
It was in World War II that the armored car became a much more common sight, with Germany constructing several models to protect its elite leaders. Adolf Hitler personally owned a Mercedes-Benz 770k Tourenwagen that was fitted with bulletproof glass and armor plating.
Allegedly, this car was designed by Hitler and manufactured specifically to requirements by Mercedes-Benz. The car was seized at the end of the war and shipped to America, passing from owner to owner as the years wore on.
Today, the average bulletproof car is leagues beyond the old-fashioned model created by Adolf Hitler and the like. These days, armored cars tend to strike a balance between rugged protection and luxurious comfort.
Travel Safe, Travel In Style
One of the safest cars in the world is the Presidential limousine known as ‘The Beast’. It belongs to the President of the United States, and it’s one of the most dramatically powerful and well-equipped vehicles on earth.
This car is a Cadillac, a relatively luxurious brand, and it is built to withstand anything from armor-piercing bullets to rocket attacks. It’s reinforced against mines, toxic chemicals, gases, and as the ultimate counter-measure, it has several decoy versions.
However, while that’s the epitome of armored cars, what happens if a regular person wants to purchase a bulletproof vehicle? If you’re a high-risk CEO or multi-billionaire, you’ll need to travel in both comfort and safety, but how can you accomplish that?
Firstly, you’ll want to purchase a massively luxurious car like a Rolls-Royce Phantom, dramatically expensive and totally sumptuous. Then, you’ll need to seek out a company to armor up that vehicle, providing complete protection from any exterior threats.
For example, alpineco.com explains how they can fully protect a Rolls-Royce Phantom against a huge variety of attacks. They do this by lining the car with thick armor plating, bulletproof glass, an anti-mine floor, and bullet-resistant, ‘run flat’ tires.
While Rolls-Royce doesn’t offer a bulletproof car as standard, you can certainly have these modifications made on an aftermarket basis. In Texas, a company known as Texas Armoring claims to outfit around one hundred cars every year with armor plating.
Reportedly, it takes around three hundred hours to strip down a Rolls-Royce Phantom and rebuild it with every inch of protection possible. It also costs the owner a staggering two hundred thousand dollars to have the work done.
When you consider that the car itself is worth half a million dollars, you’ve almost invested a million dollars by the time all the work is complete. However, if you’re a billionaire living a high-risk life, the cost of an armored vehicle is almost a necessity.
Ultimately, it doesn’t need to be a Rolls-Royce that you purchase with the goal of protecting yourself on the road. You can achieve the same goal with a BMW X5, Audi A8, Mercedes-Benz M-Class Guard, or a Range Rover – it’s up to you.