Top 5 armoured rides on James

All flash and style is not enough to please the our most demanding followers here at JamesList. Whether it be because of ones stature as a goverment official, a warlord, a drug kingpin or simply a very, very adventurous driver (or a combination of all of the above), you won’t be driving an open-top MG anytime soon. May we instead suggest something a little more robust? Armoured cars has been rising in popularity lately, not only as a necessary safety precaution but also as a nice luxurious detail in your day to day life. We’ve collected our five favourite armoured cars right here on JamesList.

As a preface: there are a number of different standards that describe levels of armouring, one of the more popular ones being a European standard that uses B4 (will withstand a round from a handgun), B5 (should do alright even if fired at by an AK-47) and so on. You can read up on the different standards here.

We’re starting at #5 with the beast you see pictured above. We chose it to partly symbolize the origins of armoured cars – the military! Just like when Arnold bought the first civilian Hummer, it all has to begin somewhere. Moreover, it’s not too often that actually military-grade vehicles turn up for sale on JamesList, and when they do, it’s often a bit… gimmicky. The MPV U-5000 on the other, means as much business as anything. This Czech-made behemoth can withhold the blast from an anti-tank mine, as well as fire from a 7.62×51 rifle.

Coming in at #4 is a marque that you rarely see mentioned here: Volvo. Someone actually bothered with the time and effort to equip this late era S90 to a B6 standard, coming in with 10 cm worth of armour. Particularly exciting? Not really. However, we appreciate the democratic approach in making an armoured alternative available to the general public – given they feel like spending €45,000.

It’s at #3 where things get really exciting. Here, we have a Mercedes-Benz GL 550 that has undergone quite a bit of custom work – five months worth! From the outside, it looks like your standard soccermom ride but upon closer (much closer) inspection, you’ll notice that the interior is something else entirely. This Benz can withstand a goddamn hand grenade, as well your run of the mill landmine. It has the stopping power equal to three times that of the aforementioned Volvo, meaning you can fire three rounds of 7.62 FMJ bullets straight into the same area and you won’t even spill your beverage.

Another Benz is at #2 but it’s much more rough-and-ready. It’s the ever-popular G55 AMG with a twist. It’s the limo version (an entertaining contradiction by itself) that has been tweaked to a B7 level of protection. It’ll sustain three shots from a high powered rifle from a short distance using armor-piercing ammunition. You’re looking at 1) turing a lot of heads and 2) spending a small fortune.

Finally, at #1 we have that marque that always tops luxury lists of all sorts. It’s almost like they shouldn’t be allowed to compete, but for our money (all €650,000 of it) you can’t do better that a limited edition stretched & armoured Rolls-Royce Phantom. It originally turned up as an exhibition car at the Geneva Motor Show with the conversion coming from ThyssenKrupp Drauz Nothelfer. Fewer than five were made in total. Just goes to show that after it’s all said and done, there’s simply nobody that really can touch RR in any department. As fun as rolling in an actual tank such as the MPV sounds, a Rolls is a Rolls and we’ll never settle for less.

Source: James Spotting