Sub5zero - Celebrating the Fast Life
In July 2013, a Czech fugitive living in Johannesburg was saved from a hitman by his armoured Mercedes Benz Coupe. Radovan Krejcir was attacked with a machine gun hidden behind the rear license plate of a modified VW Polo.
Once the attack ended, the VW Polo burst into flames. Krejcir’s Mercedes was peppered with impact marks, but remained intact.Armoured vehicles, also known as personal protection vehicles, are becoming increasingly popular and commonplace. They look just like a regular car, but have integrated armour.
The inventor of the armoured vehicle was Leonardo da Vinci, the artist, scientist and inventor. He sketched his version of an armoured war vehicle in 1485. Looking similar to a tank, his vision had cannons facing out, protective panels and a turret.
Armoured cars are constructed by replacing the windows with bulletproof glass, and layers of armour under the outer skin of the car. There is a range of additional modification available, such as automatic fire extinguishers, explosion-resistant fuel tanks, and pressured interiors to protect against gas attacks. It is possible to get armoured versions of a variety of cars.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oI9fJJVdl3M[/youtube]About the author: Katie Howarth blogs for Dronsfields – the place to find spare Mercedes parts online.