This is an exciting and informative article from the February issue of Motor Trend Magazine. The report covers the process used by armored car manufacturers to produce an armored vehicle.

It covers the subjects of Gross Vehicle Weight Rating, Payload, and the types of armored material used, such as opaque and transparent armor.

The article also covers what they call overlapping. This thin band goes around the door’s perimeter or on the vehicle’s frame, preventing rounds from entering the vehicle within the door’s seams. And, of course, they cover the cost of doing all that.

The article starts with a comment we (ISDA) disagree with. “With armored car sales up over the past few years, we agree with that statement, but it goes on to stay that
automakers including Audi, BMW, Land Rover, and Mercedes-Benz have joined with small, specialized manufacturers to offer a wide variety of bulletproof and even mine-resistant cars, trucks, and SUVs. This is not correct. The Original Equipment Manufacturers – OEMs were manufacturing armored vehicles many years before aftermarket came into the picture.

Also, the OEM manufacturing process is very different from the aftermarket companies. Not good or bad, but different.

Links

Episode 174 – Payload
https://securitydriver.com/03/episode-174-payload/

Episode 176 – The Basics of Armored Vehicles and Their Use in Protective Services
https://securitydriver.com/04/episode-176-the-basics-of-armored-vehicles-protective-services/

Episode 149 – Five Vehicle Characteristics that Affect Safety and Security
https://securitydriver.com/09/episode-149-five-vehicle-characteristics-that-affect-safety-and-security/

The ISDA Category: of Armored Vehicles
https://isdacenter.org/category/armored-vehicles/