Skoda has a bit of a reputation for building bulletproof cars these days. It was a little different in the 1980s, but the modern brand is as reliable as they come. There’s a reason why there’s so many high-mileage Octavia minicabs all across Europe.
Well, Skoda has decided to take this reputation to a new level and make the car actually bulletproof. With the help of an unnamed, UK-based vehicle conversion specialist, it’s created this armored Superb.
Based on a standard two-liter diesel estate, the armored Superb meets the standards for the British Standards Institution’s PAS 300 tests for civilian armored vehicles. This means that it survived testing with a wide range of weapons and explosives.
This includes some pretty serious ammunition, including common Eastern Bloc and NATO weapons up to 7.62x51mm, underbody fragmentation grenades and even a 12kg chunk of C4 detonated a meter away from the car. Although not strictly bulletproof, this means that it is highly bullet and blast-resistant.
Skoda is quite rightfully mum about exactly what went into the car’s construction. It will say that the Superb features bullet-resistant glass, high strength steel, and composite materials to aid in protecting the vehicle’s occupants.
That does all make the car a smidge heavier than usual. Skoda isn’t saying how heavy exactly, but does note that it’s upgraded the suspension and braking systems to account for it. Of course it also features runflat tires, to allow escape from danger even if whoever’s attacking targets the wheels.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhCzS_MLY3o
All of the standard features of a Skoda Superb remain, but the upgrades add an emergency lighting and siren system. It even keeps its standard three-year warranty.
It is a little more expensive than the usual Superb though. At £118,688 ($157,000) it’s more than three times the price of a range-topping Superb estate. But then what price safety?
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