Many or some of us have stood out on the street and waved at the cavalcade which follows world leaders. Then there are those who might have waited in their cars for minutes which felt like hours because there is a top official making his way through the city. But for those who enjoy it and those who don't, they cannot help themselves but get a glance of the car that carries this official on board.
They come from a specialized lot and are tailor made to keep the most important person from their respective countries safe. The importance, therefore, of the car, which carries this huge responsibility on its shoulders, needs to be highlighted. We take a look at a few of these cars which can be best described as bunkers on wheels.
BMW 7-Series (India)
We've spoken at length about the BMW 7-Series that chauffeured the Prime Minister in India on his first day at the office. The car was the choice of the Special Protection Group (SPG) which makes all the decisions when it comes to the official's security.
The BMW 7 Series which serves the current PM Narendra Modi and is known to be the safest vehicle in the country. It can protect its occupants from everything ranging from bombs to advanced rifle fires. The vehicle can also run on flat tyres for miles and has advanced heat sensors to debar bombs and missiles.
Also Read: Modi Ditches Scorpio For BMW
Moreover, the fuel tank of the vehicle doesn't explode even when the car comes under attack and is fired upon, or set explosives to. The cabin turns into a gas proof chamber in case of a gas attack.
The 760Li High Security edition meets the highest available ballistic protection class B6/B7. Drivers have to be trained before getting behind the wheel of one of these. The Beamer punches out a hefty 439bhp and with all that armour protecting the occupants; it can still sprint from a standstill to 100km/h in 7.5 seconds for a quick getaway.
Cadillac (USA)
There is so much read and written about US President Barack Obama's official car and we will see the car in India doing the rounds of the streets of New Delhi. Nicknamed 'The Beast' , the car is designed with one sole purpose - to protect the president from terror attacks while also keeping him in touch with his administration.
The car is 18 feet in length, 5 feet 10 inches tall and all the armour that goes into it makes it a weighty affair and hence it weighs 8 tonnes. The car is impenetrable by bullets or bombs and is home to a lot more than anyone could imagine.
The boot is home to oxygen tanks and firefighting equipment while the tank is sealed and designed in a manner that it cannot explode. There is a lot of equipment inside too like a night-vision camera, pump-action shotgun, teargas cannons. To keep the first family safe, the car also carries a cache of their blood types.
The Beast also boasts of run -flat tyres which are shred and puncture resistant. The doors of the car act like a thick concrete wall as the armour-plating is 8 inches thick and weigh as much as a Boeing 757.
There is protection for the driver as well as the driver's window can withstand armour piercing bullets and .44 Magnum. In this case too, the driver has been trained to make a getaway if the situation so demands. Powered by a 6.5-litre diesel engine the car tops out at 100km/h.
Hongqi L5 (China)
The Chinese officials have always been fond of German car manufacturers and we've seen then ply in Mercedes' or BMW's quite often but the current president Xi Jinping in a way endorses Hongqi, China's only domestically manufactured luxury car. Hongqi cars are used as the official government state car and the people of the Republic too can buy cars made by them.
The car in particular that we're talking about is the Hongqi L5 limousine which is priced at $800000 and has similar features to what you've already read. We first saw the car make headlines when it showed up in New Zealand where Xi Jinping made a state visit.
The Hongqi L5 weighs in at 6950 kgs and comes loaded with features inside. It's a Chinese car with a chrome front grille and Rolls-Royce style interiors.
Mercedes-Benz S600 Pullman (Russia)
Governments, heads of state and royalty all over the world have always appreciated the cars that Mercedes-Benz has created for them and the S600 Pullman is one such example. The luxury limousine not only provides all the communications and entertainment equipment they need but also has enough and more space for discreet meetings.
The Pullman Limousine is based on the flagship Mercedes Benz S 600 L Guard model and under the hood is a 5513cc, twelve-cylinder biturbo engine which churns out 517bhp and a peak torque of 830 Nm. Both the chassis and the body are new developments too add to the stability, given the fact that it has an extra-long wheelbase.
When it comes to security, the S 600 Guard Pullman is equivalent to resistance level B6/B7, as tested and certified by state-approved organisations. Its armour resists military-standard small-arms projectiles and provides protection against fragments from hand grenades and other explosive devices. Additional safety features include run-flat tyres, a self-sealing fuel tank and a fire-extinguishing system.
Russian President Vladimir Putin still uses the car, however he's been insisting that a Russian carmaker should come forward and make a car that he can drive around in which will offer the same amount of security. Two Russian carmakers, ZiL and GAZ Group, were preparing their proposals and their cars after which ZiL will come out with by 2016-17.
