BMW is no stranger to armored cars. Many of its more expensive models, like the 7 Series, X5, and X7 are often bought by people who regularly need security details. Whether it’s important heads of state, big-time businesspeople who are susceptible to robbery, or perhaps folks with less savory careers, there’s certainly a market for BMWs that can withstand some light-to-medium gunfire. BMW’s latest attempt at an armored luxo-barge is the Concept 7 Protection, which is a lighter-duty armored car than the rest.
This isn’t BMW’s first armored version of this generation 7 Series, that’s simply called the 7 Series Protection. However, that car has a VR9 protection level, with an optional VPAM 10 level rating. Both of those ratings are designed more to handle military-grade weaponry, like assault rifles and grenades. So you’ll typically see a European head of state in one. This new Concept 7 Protection is meant to deter armed robbery and light-duty weaponry, so it’s a bit lighter and less extreme than its sibling.
BMW
So this new version is rated only for simpler handguns, with 9mm and .44 magnum ammunition. If you need any sort of explosive protection, from grenades or bombs, you have to upgrade to the VR9 or VPAM10-level 7 Series. To make the Concept 7 capable of handling smaller gunfire, it has bulletproof glass, as well as doors reinforced with ballistic steel and fiber-reinforced composites. It loses its sunroof, even though it doesn’t look like it from the outside. There’s a reinforced steel panel between the glass and the power sunshade, so that the car has the appearance of a normal 7 Series from the outside, but is sealed from the inside. That does mean that the sunshade remains permanently close, though. Both the front bulkhead and rear wall behind the back seats are reinforced, too.
Passengers can communicate with the outside world via an intercom system, so you can tell any potential ne’er-do-wells to back off. Additionally, there’s an alarm system with both visual and audible alerts.
BMW
Obviously, the Concept 7 Protection is heavier than a standard 7 Series, due to all the armor. Still, it should have some poke when the chauffeur has to hit the gas to get their VIP out of danger. That’s because it’s based on the BMW M760e xDrive, with a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six, paired with an electric motor, that makes 603 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque. That’s about as much as an F90 M5, so it’ll still be quick even with the added weight, even if BMW doesn’t list any official performance figures.
So if you’re the type of VIP that only faces light gunfire and not military-grade gunfire, this might be for you.
