NYT: Your Mercedes Is Not Armor-Plated? How Declassé!

New York Times ^ | August 15, 2004 | MARK LANDLER

[OESY]

A BMW security car at a Munich test center. Armored cars
can be bought, or normal sedans can be outfitted.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

Wonder how bad the gas mileage is on those babies?

[goldstategop]

A fortune but hey you can't put a price on a human life. Fortunately most of us will never have to live in fear with being marked for death by our enemies. If you're rich or famous and usually both, that comes with the territory. Naturally in that event, you will want the best that money can buy.

(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)

[Constitution Day]

"Wonder how bad the gas mileage is on those babies?"

Even the sticker price of $425,000 for a limousine - $142,000 for an S.U.V. - has not curbed the demand.

I'd venture to say that if you can afford a six-figure automobile, higher fuel consumption is not an issue. ;)

[Lokibob]

If you pay $425,000 for a car, gas mileage is the furtherest thing from your mind.

[Cicero]

Pretty good deal. First the Euros sell the Muslims weapons, rocket launchers, semtex, and cars for suicide bombers to blow themselves up in. Then they sell them the armored cars to survive these weapons. Then they laugh all the way to the bank, while puffing on their Cuban cigars.

[babyface00]

Fortunately most of us will never have to live in fear with being marked for death by our enemies

You might argue that we (collectively) already are (Al Queda, NK, for example), but they're unlikely to riddle any of our personal cars with bullets.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

If you pay $425,000 for a car, gas mileage is the furtherest thing from your mind.

I'm certain of that.

I can't, which is why it was on mine.

[martin_fierro]

One of its earliest models, a 1935 behemoth, the Grand Mercedes, was better known as Emperor Hirohito's limousine. (Hitler had something like it.)

1937 Mercedes-Benz 770 K Grand Mercedes Open Tourer

[finnman69]

Now this is an armored car.

[rdb3]

Yo, AC! Maybe I should put a .50-cal on my F150, no?

;-)

[stainlessbanner]

optional smoke machine to obscure the car during gun battles

Queue the Bond music.....

[boofus]

Now make one that floats, and Ted Kennedy will corner the market.

[Paleo Conservative]

Increasingly, the vehicle of choice for this adventure travel is a German luxury sedan clad like a panzer.

I bet the fuel economy on this car sucks, I'm sure Arianna Huffington and her friends will drive these, but the NYT would want ordinary people to take public transportation or drive and underpowered unairconditioned hybrid.

[daviddennis]

That's called a Technical. The Iraqi opposition used them against our tanks, with predictable results.

D

[gatex]

"With governments, private contractors and news organizations all clamoring for cars to protect their employees,"

For some reason, I have the distinct impression that "news organiztions" are quite vocal that average citizens, who cannot afford these armored cars, should be denied guns for self-protection.

[USS Alaska]

My mercedes has treads instead of wheels. It cost me $100,000 extra but it's the only one in the world so it's worth it. I did get a bill for ripping up the parking lot at Wal-Marts last week, but as I always say, money is just paper. S/off

[ctdonath2]

IIRC, it was the Somalis that had a fondness for "technicals" - which were cobbled-together Road Warrior-type hack-jobs, not the remote-joystick-controlled high-quality products from Ibistek.

[ctdonath2]

Be sure to check out O'Gara-Hess for the best in Bondian tricked-out armored luxury cars.

[Logophile]

Increasingly, the vehicle of choice for this adventure travel is a German luxury sedan clad like a panzer.

If I were worried enough to buy an armored car, I would choose something less conspicuous than a German luxury sedan. Perhaps a plain-vanilla minivan, SUV, or pickup truck.