Bulletproof Fashions
by Rory Dennis on Thursday 6th of August 2009
Everyone likes adding on a few extras when they order their new car, that's half the fun. The question is, where do you stop? If you're buying a new 7-series direct from BMW, pay another £600 and you get a phone in the back - a good idea because in a car like this, you're going to spend a lot of time being driven. You can drop another £500 and add a little more joy to your ride with the oscillating seat base function. Velour floor mats are really a personal choice and it's a call I think you should leave to you better half and their interior designer.
Get on the phone, go through a few checks and you can order a package that includes a boot too small to carry a set of golf clubs (caused by 6 inches of steel encasing the passenger cabin and shielding the function-critical electrics) a windscreen (so heavy you''d never be able to kick it out in an emergency) fitted with a ring of explosive charges around the edge to hurl it across the road.
A connection with reality is essential to maintain a check upon false fears but when you know you are surrounded by six inches of steel and people whose sole job in life is to take the bullet for you, how can you maintain an accurate level of caution? The old joke about it not being paranoia if they really are out to get you, isn''t correct.
That''s the problem with security - the more you have, the more insecure you feel.
Who can say what''s going on in London these days? One thing we know for sure is that if it does all go off. We''ll be fine. Our car has B7 protection: this means the bodywork will resist - only an idiot or a fraud ever claims complete bullet-proff abilities - armour-piercing rounds fired from an AK47 and a grenade attack (B6 standard is one step down and is designed to resist normal AK47 rounds).
This is the car BMW Specialist Operations, out of Munich, lent me for a few days and, from the outside, it takes a trained eye to notice any difference: it runs the same height on the suspension, none of the pillars or posts seem thicker. There is a slight giveaway in the refraction of the glass but that''s about it.
There are one or two other high-end manufacturers out there armouring their cars: of course there are. If you''re spending £269,500 on a Rolls Royce Phantom. You can probably specify the parentage of the seat leather, so a few add-ons like a humidor or drinks set won''t raise an eyebrow. Similary with the Maybach; there probably aren''t many discreet introverts ordering one, so don''t be embrrassed to ask for a few extras.
