Wednesday 12th November 2003

Armoured X5

The essential tool for the modern drug dealer?

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BMW is now offering a range of armour plating and firearms protection for its vehicles which it claims is to protect against firearms attack, robbery, kidnap and car jacking.

Bling bling, here comes the armoured X5. The X5 Security joins 7 Series High Security and 3 Series Security vehicles which already provide protection for many celebs and paranoid people.

From the outside all BMW Security cars are almost identical to standard road cars. However appearances can be deceptive as all Security models are heavily armoured, featuring significant modifications like bullet-resistant, reinforced passenger cells, triple glazing and strengthened door joins.

All modifications are engineered into Security cars during production, a process reflected in the case of the 7 Series High Security by its unique engineering number – E67. This creates a more comprehensive security package than retrofitted kits.

X5 4.4i Security

The X5 Security’s reinforced glass stops ammunition up to calibre .44 Magnum from breaching the glass. The glazing is approximately 20mm thick and coated in polycarbonate which acts as splinter protection for the passenger cell.

Door shuts, cable ducts and door joins in the B pillar are normally weaker areas of any car. To provide a completely secure passenger cell, these areas are reinforced to ensure no munitions can penetrate. The entire reinforced passenger cell features sections supplemented by ballistic resistant steel capable of withstanding a .44 Magnum attack. Run-flat tyres allow the driver to travel safely up to 30 miles at speeds of 50 mph, even when punctured or deflated.

330i Security

Like the X5 Security, the BMW 330i Security closely resembles the standard 330i road car. However its chassis has been extensively adapted to compensate for additional weight, with reinforced springs and dampers to ensure handling is comparable with the standard car. It can still reach 130 mph and 0-62 in 7.3 seconds.

Common to both X5 and 330i Security cars is an intercom featuring ‘assault alarm’. Occupants are able to communicate with those outside the vehicle – at a road block for example - without opening a door or window via an internal microphone and loudspeakers incorporated into the exterior mirrors.

In the event of a hostile reception, occupants press a button to activate the assault alarm. This features a loud siren which wails intermittently for 30 seconds, complemented by flashing high-beam headlights and foglights.

7 Series High Security

BMW 7 Series High Security exceeds even the high levels of protection offered by BMW 330i Security and BMW X5 Security vehicles. Meeting the requirements of B6/B7 weapons standard, 760 Li and 745 Li High Security derivatives are able to withstand attack from explosives or bullets of the armour-piercing 7.62x54R API calibre – often used by terrorist organisations.

Standard underbody protection prevents grenade fragments from entering the passenger cell. Its effectiveness has been verified independently with hand grenades detonated simultaneously below the driver’s seat and the rear right seat.

A host of additional features serve to protect occupants in the event of attack:

1. Emergency exit through front windscreen
2. Intercom system with additional ‘attack alarm’ function
3. Remote starting system
4. Fire-extinguishing system with temperature sensors
5. Emergency fresh-air system
6. Partially lowered windows
7. Automatic central locking when moving off

So next time you visit your gran in Moss Side you know what sort of car you need...

[Dodge]

Bloody Hell Derek! That's quite an options list.

To be fair though, it's easy to make the X5 Security look like a std X5, because it already looks well-armoured...