The Australia Prime Minister has ordered a fleet of bulletproof/bombproof BMWs to protect leaders during the G20 summit this year. BMW Australia says that the Government bought nine BMW 760Li Security Vehicles.
As hosts of the G20, the Australian Government has an obligation to provide armoured vehicles for visiting foreign dignitaries.
The $6.2 million fleet can withstand AK47 fire, attacks with explosive devices or armour-piercing weapons.
The BMW 760i/760Li High Security and the BMW 750i High Security are the first models in the world to be certified to BRV 2009 and both vehicles meet the requirements of the new ballistic protection level VR7. Due to their highly effective protective armor, the non-transparent body areas of the BMW 760Li High Security and the BMW 750Li High Security meet the requirements of the ballistic protection level VR9.
BMW 760Li has an electronically limited top speed of 210 km/h. The V12 unit of the BMW 760i High Security outputs 544 hp at an engine speed of 5,250 rpm. Peak torque of 750 Nm comes at 1,500 rpm. The 6.0-liter 12-cylinder engine is matted to the ZF eight-speed automatic transmission, taking the BMW 760i High Security from zero to 100 km/h in as little as 6.2 seconds.
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Specific chassis components are perfectly adapted to the increase in weight due to the sedans’ armor plating. Hence, reinforced suspension, dampers and suspension strut top mountings are part of the model-specific component range. This approach ensures finely-tuned vehicle performance characteristics that cannot be achieved by retrofitted armor plating.
Reinforced vehicle-specific armour plating made from special steel as well as newly developed safety glazing protect the passenger compartment in particular from attacks of all kinds. The passenger compartment is protected by armour plating of the doors, the roof, the pillars, the front footwell and the separation wall between passenger and luggage compartments. The steel panels, which were manufactured by means of a special technique, fit the body contours perfectly. The model-specific gap sealing ensures that critical areas such as door cut and body joint lines are safely sealed.
The sedans’ undercarriage is armored by special plating which was developed with a particular focus on maximum explosion protection. Another new development is the sedans’ 2.4” (6 cm) safety glazing. Due to its innovative structure, the multi-layer laminated glass cover provides a unique level of resistance. The window panes are covered with a polycarbonate layer on the inside in order to prevent shattered glass particles from penetrating the interior.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s office confirmed the contract had been won by BMW, replacing the older fleet of Holden vehicles. A government spokesperson attributed the BMW Group’s success in the tender process to the high levels of security, performance, economy and service the company was able to provide.
The sale of the vehicles was completed through an official tender process conducted between BMW AG and the Australian government.
Each car retails for $525,000 each, will be used at the G20 summit in Brisbane in November to transport leaders such as U.S. President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron.
“The new vehicles will be used first during the G20 summit. After the G20, they will be placed around Australia and used as security transport for federal ministers, visiting foreign heads of state and senior foreign dignitaries,” a government spokesman said.
[Source: Mashable]
