Purchasing an Armored Vehicle for Protection
Most cars in the auto industry are designed to be as comfortable and safe as possible while being driven, and auto makers are held to strict standards in passenger safety in the event of a crash. Air bags, steel bodies, crumpling bodies that absorb shock, and other features may help save lives during a car crash. But other vehicles, meanwhile, are designed for the next level of occupant protection. These cars and vans are not typically on the market for everyday American consumers; rather, their owners tend to be politicians and military personnel. These people are sometimes the target of ambushes or assassination attempts, and they will need armored cars or armored vans to travel safely. Similarly, special forces units may make use of SWAT vehicles with armor plating to travel to and from dangerous areas safely. An interested client may want to invest in such armored sedans or vans, and an armored cars for sale may be found through the right channels. Some armored cars for sale may be inspected in person to ensure that they are up to the buyer’s standards, and these armored cars for sale may offer many desirable features. What is there to look for in armored cars for sale?
What Armored Cars for Sale May Offer
When a high-ranking military figure or a politician is looking for armored cars for sale, they may require some high standards in safety features. For example, as the name suggests, these vehicles have specially-designed armor plating on their bodies and inside, allowing them to endure more trauma than an ordinary car or van could. These armored vehicles may even survive repeated gunshots or possibly even a small-scale explosive, such as a shot from a handheld RPG launcher in some cases. Such vehicles may sustain damage to their armor plating and may be jostled about, but in many cases, they will remain operational and no one inside will be harmed. Such vehicles are not truly indestructible, but they can withstand a great deal of punishment and remain functional in many cases.
These vehicles may offer not only armor against gunshots or launched projectiles, but they may also have advanced features to prevent other forms of attack, too. Such vehicles may have powerful air filters that will prevent poison gas from getting inside the vehicle, since armor plating is little use against gas. What is more, such vehicles tend to have many medical supplies on board, such as gas masks and air tanks, standard first aid kits, and more. Multiple blood packs of the client’s blood type may be on hand to allow for blood transfusions at a moment’s notice. In the case of a heavy attack, the client inside may still suffer injury, so these medical supplies act as an extra line of defense.
The Industry of Armored Vehicles
Someone looking for armored cars for sale may have many options to choose from, as many people around the world have need for such cars and vans. In fact, in the past five years, the armored transportation services sector has grown 2.8%, and in 2018 alone, it grew another 1%. In that same year, it reached a total annual revenue of $3 billion, and this may be due to the estimated 100,000 armored and bulletproof vehicles being driven on today’s roads. Such vehicles may vary somewhat in their exact specs, such as the amount of trauma that the armor can endure, the vehicle’s type (sedan, van, or others) and other factors. The Popes of the Catholic church have started using such vehicles after a failed assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II in 1981, and American presidents often make use of them, too.
Former president Barack Obama and current president Donald Trump have both made use of a particular armored Cadillac limo nicknamed “The Beast.” This particular armored car has plating reported to be five inches thick, and it has advanced medical and electronic features, too. The exact specifications are classified, but it can be said with confidence that this vehicle offers extensive protection for any president riding inside. And in some cases, an armored car’s client may in fact use a decoy while traveling, meaning that assassins may find two of the same vehicle traveling and not know which to attack.