Bentley Motors is claiming its new ‘B6-specification’ Bentley Mulliner ‘protected limousine’ is immune to such events as an attack from a Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifle, probably the most recognised terrorist weapon in existence.
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Bentley is in fact claiming the new car offers ballistic protection from even more significant firepower and will protect occupants should high-powered hand grenades detonate above the roof even while two detonate simultaneously below the floor.
Bentley Motors’ Mulliner division, the company’s specialist ‘bespoke vehicle’ department, claims to offer the most comprehensive armoured protected vehicle service in the world. Work includes anything from simple ‘smash and grab’ toughened side glass, to bulletproof glass, to full armour plating designed to pass the world’s toughest security standards.
Bentley incorporates the armour plating and energy absorbent materials into the vehicle at the initial production stage. This is unusual, the company says, because most other manufacturers offer armour added as ‘bolt on’ extras, usually by specialist third parties.
“Bentley makes armoured cars, not cars that have been armoured,” says Bentley Mulliner director John Killick. “It is a crucial difference. We not only do the vast majority of the work in-house at Crewe, but we also do it to the quality levels expected from a Bentley.”
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By GlobalDataThe suspension, brakes, traction control and stability programmes are re-engineered and upgraded to match the armoured body shell and the entire vehicle is claimed to be more durable than an after-market conversion. Performance, road behaviour and durability are also said to be improved. The cars also look ‘normal’, as opposed to being overweight and bloated. Five armoured prototypes were specially built and subsequently tested around the world in hot and cold climates.
The protected limousines, based on the Bentley Arnage saloon, are offered in 250mm, 450mm or 728mm extended wheelbase guises, and are individually tailored to the owner’s choice. For full B6 protection, the typical cost is about £200,000 ($US300,000) on top of the normal car – but this depends on the degree of personalisation.
Further safety options include an oxygen supply system and exploding door hinge bolts that blast open doors allowing a quick exit. Driver training is also offered.
Bentley Mulliner is newly launched but can trace its ancestry back more than 200 years. It was formed from the famous old Mulliner Park Ward coach-building division whose handiwork included custom-built Phantom V and VI limousines for the UK royal family and commonwealth heads of state.
Mulliner Park Ward once provided custom coachbuilding services almost exclusively both Bentley and Rolls-Royce but now has a broader remit and a bigger workforce.
Apart from armoured protection vehicles, Bentley Mulliner personalises vehicles in virtually any way that the customer wants. This includes handcrafted cabins, long-wheelbase limousines and even unique one-off vehicles. Last year it built the all-new State Limousine, as used by the Queen during her golden jubilee celebrations. About half of all Bentleys are personalised by Bentley Mulliner in some way.
“No other motor manufacturer offers the level of bespoke hand-made service provided by Bentley,” says Killick. “We do not just change trim colour or materials, we can completely reconfigure the interior.
“Imagine an empty room…we can build-in whatever ‘furniture’ and technology the customer desires…every car is unique”.
To learn more about the armoured car market, click here: The Global Market Review for Armoured Passenger Vehicles
