Mercedes-Benz unveils new armoured S-Class

MERCEDES-BENZ has unveiled the armoured version of its latest S600 in its Guard line-up of protective vehicles for nervous world leaders and billionaires.

Aimed at anybody in need of a high-security luxury fortress with the ability to make quick getaway, the S600 Guard is hand-built at Benz’s Sindelingen plant in Germany.

The body shell is reinforced with heavy gauge sheet metal cut by hand and fitted using overlapping techniques by people – not machines – to ensure every gap is closed.

The windscreen glass is 10cm thick, weighs 135kg and has a polycarbonate coating to stop it splintering in an explosion or gunfire.

The underbody is almost entirely amour-plated, but just to be sure, the floor mats are woven carbon-fibre.

Apart from the usual S-Class luxury features, the S600 Guard gets its own oxygen supply in the case of gas attack, along with an automatic fire extinguisher system, a special cooling compartment in the rear, opaque roller blinds for the back passengers and - if all else fails – a panic alarm to notify authorities.

Mercedes-Benz has not revealed the weight premium for all these extras, but as the S600 Guard needs to move quickly, it is powered by Benz’s 6.0-litre 390kW/830Nm petrol V12 from the regular S600.

Mercedes-Benz claims the S600 is able to make “rapid escapes”, but is keeping the performance figures secret, revealing only that the car has been electronically limited “for weight reasons” to a top speed of 209km/h. The standard S600 has a 0-100km/h time of 4.6 seconds.

The S600 sits at the top of the Mercedes-Benz’s Guard line-up that also includes models from the E, M and G-Classes. The line-up is categorised according to the type of protection the vehicles offer. Mercedes says VR1 to VR 4 Guard cars offer high protection. While V5-V7 give the company’s maximum fortification and can withstand military grade weapons. Benz says the S600 is rated VR6-VR7.

While pricing is probably irrelevant for buyers in the market for a car like the S600 Guard, the regular S600L is $415,000 not including on-road costs.