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A VIP armored car is a civilian vehicle with a reinforced structure that is designed to protect its occupants from assaults, bullets and blasts. Armored cars are typically manufactured with
bulletproof glass Bulletproof glass, ballistic glass, transparent armor, or bullet-resistant glass is a strong and optically transparent material that is particularly resistant to penetration by projectiles. Like any other material, it is not completely impenetr ...
and layers of
armor plating Military vehicles are commonly armoured (or armored; see spelling differences) to withstand the impact of shrapnel, bullets, shells, rockets, and missiles, protecting the personnel inside from enemy fire. Such vehicles include armoured fighti ...
, often with a variety of other defensive mechanisms and features to aid the individuals inside. Unlike military armored vehicles, a civilian armored car is designed to be inconspicuous and similar to its factory version. Armored cars are used internationally and often used to protect high-profile individuals such as heads of state, political figures,
businessperson A businessperson, businessman, or businesswoman is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial or industrial) for the ...
s,
VIPs A very important person or personage (VIP or V.I.P.) is a person who is accorded special privileges due to their high social status, influence or importance. The term was not common until sometime after World War 2 by RAF pilots. Examples inc ...
, and sometimes celebrities. They may also be used by governmental
law enforcement agencies A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws. Jurisdiction LEAs which have their ability to apply their powers restricted in some way are said to operate within a jurisdiction. LEA ...
as well as private military contractors. Chicago mobster
Al Capone Alphonse Gabriel Capone (; January 17, 1899 – January 25, 1947), sometimes known by the nickname "Scarface", was an American gangster and businessman who attained notoriety during the Prohibition era as the co-founder and boss of the ...
reportedly owned an armored 1928
Cadillac The Cadillac Motor Car Division () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM) that designs and builds luxury vehicles. Its major markets are the United States, Canada, and China. Cadillac models are distributed ...
341A.


Base vehicles

Most civilian armored cars are created by fitting aftermarket upgrades to standard production cars. Several car manufacturers produce armored car models from the factory, such as the Audi Security Vehicles (A6 and A8 models),
Lincoln Town Car The Lincoln Town Car is a model line of full-size luxury sedans that was marketed by the Lincoln division of the American automaker Ford Motor Company. Deriving its name from a limousine body style, Lincoln marketed the Town Car from 1981 to ...
BPS,
Hyundai Equus The Hyundai Equus () is a full-size, front-engine, rear-drive, four-door, five passenger luxury sedan manufactured and marketed by Hyundai from 1999 to 2016. The name ''" equus"'' is the Latin word for "horse". In 2009, Hyundai released the sec ...
, BMW Security series (3 Series, 5 Series, 7 Series and X5 models), the Mercedes Benz Guard vehicles (E, ML, GL, G & S Class). Some civilian armored cars may be one-off unique vehicles with no standard equivalent, such as the current Presidential state car of the USA which is built on a medium-duty truck platform styled like a Cadillac.


Certification

There are a variety of armoring standards which relate to non-military armored vehicles, the most common are: * Ballistics Rating (BR): This is a European standard which certifies the materials used both transparent (BR - DIN EN 1063) and opaque (FB - DIN EN 1522/23), general guidelines on vehicle construction and covers 3 levels from 2 to 7 . This is usually grouped under a single definition of B, e.g. B6 * Vereinigung der Prüfstellen für angriffshemmende Materialien und Konstruktionen (VPAM)"Die Vereinigung der Prüfstellen für angriffshemmende Materialien und Konstruktionen"
(in German) - VPAM have a number of standards that relate to non-military armored vehicles, they are: ** APR 2006 - These are the general test guidelines for armored products. ** PM 2007 - This covers the materials used. ** BRV 1999 and 2009 - This certification indicates that the whole vehicle has been tested instead of just the materials used. ** ERV 2010 - Blast protection certification. * Vehicle Security Advisory Group (VASG) - A British Standard for armored car construction and testing. * National Institute for Justice (NIJ) - The American National Institute of Justice certification, covers body armor as well as vehicles and covers 5 levels.


See also

* Non-military armored vehicle *
Official state car An official state car is a vehicle used by a government to transport its head of state or head of government in an official capacity, which may also be used occasionally to transport other members of the government or visiting dignitaries from ot ...
* Presidential state car (Russia) *
Presidential state car (United States) The United States presidential state car ( nicknamed "the Beast", "Cadillac One", "First Car"; code named "Stagecoach") is the official state car of the president of the United States. United States presidents embraced automotive technology i ...


References

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Armoured vehicles Automotive terminology