Unless you’re either James Bond or a character in the Fast & Furious movies, you’ve probably never really thought about kitting a supercar out with bulletproof armour. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be done.
AddArmor specialise in bulletproofing vehicles, and in their latest project, they’ve managed to turn a Ferrari 458 Speciale into a ‘mobile safe room’ on wheels.
In an attempt to show that armoured vehicles don’t always have to be hulking beasts like your classic Hummer, the company have used a combination of lightweight bulletproof materials and other featherweight parts to create an armoured Ferrari that not only looks no different to the original, decidedly non-bulletproof version, but also incredibly weighs just 30 kilograms more.
The result is a mid-engine V8 Ferrari that can stop a .44 Magnum round, while still being able to get up to a top speed of 202 mph.
Most people would probably wonder why, of all vehicles, you’d choose a Ferrari to bulletproof, but there’s actually a pretty sensible explanation. As AddArmor told Automobile, ‘heavy vehicles tend to be slow, and a slow target is an easy target.’ So if you’ve got a target on your back, zipping around in an armoured supercar with a 0-60 time of 2.8 seconds actually makes a lot of sense.
The company says a heavier armoured vehicle could be able to withstand shots from armour-piercing rounds, but for the purposes of proving a point, they’ve kitted the 458 Speciale out with B4-level protection, which will keep out .44 Magnum rounds. And to be honest, unless you’re planning on taking your supercar on a spin through an active warzone, that’s probably more than sufficient.
In terms of the actual materials, AddArmor says it has used laminated synthetic armouring, which it claims is 60% lighter, and stronger than ballistic steel, as well as 0.8 inch thick layered ballistic glass. All of that adds up to an extra weight of just 68 kilograms, with half of that added mass offset by a lightweight Capristo exhaust and fully optioned carbon fibre bodywork.
Unsurprisingly, this whole package would set you back a fair few dollars: $625,000 of them, to be precise. We’re not sure how much of a market there really is for armoured supercars, but that being said, if for some reason you’re reading this and thinking about bulletproofing your own car, AddArmor will actually do it for you. The company sells packages starting from $28,000, with options ranging from gun ports and night vision to electric shock handles.
It’s certainly an interesting alternative to the Cybertruck.
