12 armored cars for $ 1.5 million for the US president
As a general guide to what rates in Bulgaria are offered the armored rental cars, it could serve the last public procurement of the National Guard Service for two armored cars to be added to the rest of the service park. The order was announced in the autumn of 2016, with a deadline of 2017.
For the two high-class armored cars manufactured in 2016 and unused, the total price was BGN 2 million excluding VAT. The National Security Service provides cars for the president, the prime minister, ministers, MPs.
Against this background, the United States is “more inexpensive”. For understandable reasons, information about US presidents is secret and only assumed. There was some leaked data about former President Barack Obama and what armored cars he used. They always were three cars at the same time for confusion of the potential attackers, and the total number was 12 identical bullet-proof cars. Each of them costs 1.5 million USD.
These armored cars, used by Obama, have so far been considered the most secure in the world. They have a special armor and the majority of the elements are assembled manually. The doors, for example, were 20 centimeters thick and the 13 glasses were made of several layers and “captured” the bullets like a baseball glove. The gas tank was also armored, and in addition it was wrapped in a special foam so it would not catch fire if an explosion occurred.
The technologies in these armored cars included state-of-the-art security systems, as well as spy tracking developments.
An impressive price is also the series of Mercedes-Benz car bombs, which have the highest level of ballistic protection / VR10 / S-Guard 600. Their price is $ 1.4 million.
Up to $ 1,000,000 reaches the price of the armored Audi A8 Security. These armored cars are class VR9 protection. The series is brand new, deliveries started in the spring of 2016.
Armored cars – not just for VIPs
Security is among the main reasons for choosing a car. All luxury cars today have protection against accidents on the road. One is to avoid a crash, others trigger when the incident occurs.
Active software protections monitor the behavior of the car and more precisely its systems in road situations. Should the brakes become blocked, the active protections responded to the brake fluid – alter and normalize the load on the wheels. They can also affect the rotation of the wheels as well as the steering wheel, etc.
Passive safety systems protect when a crash occurs. These include airbags, belts, stools, but not just that. There is also a constructive solution. The structure of the vehicle includes deformation zones – front, side and rear. They take the energy of impact and alter their shape in a way that protects the passenger’s seat. It is constructed in such a way that it has the smallest deformations.
Often, however, especially in business missions, their people need security and against attacks. Then they resorted to armored cars. All armored cars are much heavier because of hundreds of elements, some of which are made by hand. They are used to strengthen the passenger’s cot. Various types of steel, titanium, aluminum alloys, armored glass, etc. are used for the reinforcement of the various armored cars.
The variants are different according to the chosen defenses, but when we talk about the weight of armored cars, we have to add at least a ton to the weight of the luxury car. By the way, US President Barack Obama’s car is 6.8 tonnes.
In spite of the increased weight, all the options of the luxury cars – parameters, active and passive safety systems, etc. are preserved in the production of armored cars. For example, the acceleration of different armored cars from 0 to 100 kilometers is between 4 and 6 seconds. 210-250 kilometers per hour develop most armored cars. Heavier armored cars reach up to 180 km / h.
Armored cars – luxury flying fortresses
All armored cars preserve not only the technical details of the luxury but also their comfort. Speaking of armored cars, it has to be emphasized that these are luxury cars but are further protected.
No matter what brand of armored cars is concerned, the cabin is spacious and comfortable. The seats are like armchairs, air-conditioned, with heating and ventilation. The upholstery is made of soft leather. There is a TV set with satellite, air conditioning, refrigerator, LED lighting, and so on. In fact, the saloon of all armored cars can also be used as a luxury office and as a hotel room.
The idea of making armored cars is for customers to be in luxurious luxury flying fortresses. These strongholds are protected from street attacks, with stones, bats, pistols; From automatic shooting with military weapons carried out by organized gangs; From high-speed and missile projectiles, explosions and chemical attacks. Their elegant appearance is completely preserved.
For all protections in the production of armored cars there are standards in place. The BRV 2009 standards require testing and meeting the requirements of ready-made armored cars and their parts for firearms. Strength is tested at different angles from close-up shooting on roof, doors, glass, front, rear. There are also the wheels and the tires. Separately there are requirements for the degree of protection of the floor from blasts. Ballistic security classes according to BRV 2009 are from VR1 to VR10.
The production of armored cars is more expensive not only because it offers luxury with increased privacy protection but also because of the more complex construction solutions and highly skilled workmanship for the production of protection details and more expensive materials for the details themselves. In addition to strength, security systems such as cameras to monitor the surroundings of the vehicle, door opening, ignition of the fingerprint engine, weapon compartment, etc. are available.
Armored car rental – the practical solution
The cost of armored vehicles is too high, and so the world is figuring out how more people can access them. They are just giving armored cars for rent. You can also find armored cars for rent in Bulgaria.
Brone.bg, for example, offers two luxury types of armored car hire for passenger transport and armored car to transport valuable parcels.
The first type of offered armored car hire for passenger transport is the BMW 760Li. This is an armored limousine class B7 (E67). The second is the Audi A8 Quattro. This is also a limousine armored, its class is B7 (4E). B. The armored vehicle for valuable items meets all the requirements for the collection activity.
Offered armored car rental is provided only with a driver. This enhances safety first because of the rich experience of drivers driving in urban and interurban conditions. Additionally, renting armored cars includes the possibility for the driver to be armed.
In the case of an armored car hire application, the armored driver may also hire a personal security guard. The hire of armored car rental can be for a different period, the number of days is indicated on the request, a double-sided inspection of the vehicle, for which the two parties sign a protocol.
On a trip outside Sofia, the client has to pay for the night and dinner costs of the driver and eventually the bodyguard. The condition is to provide a hotel with at least three stars including breakfast, plus 20 BGN per day for food.
When using armored car hire, payment is made in advance. This can be done at the company office in cash or by bank transfer. You can also pay the driver – both in cash and with a credit card. A tax invoice is issued.