For $15,000, They Turn Cars Into Tanks

They have built armored limousines for every President since Harry S. Truman.

Queen Elizabeth II has one, along with 30 heads of state, 37 foreign ministers, 87 ambassadors, 300 diplomats and 63 top corporate executives throughout the world.

And now, the world’s largest security vehicle manufacturer wants everyone to be king of the road, so they are building them for the common folk.

Perhaps not too common, though. It will cost up to $15,000 on top of the price of the car to turn one’s Buick into a veritable civilian tank.

Not bad, considering the bullet-proof protection afforded kings and queens can run as much as $1 million.

But Hess & Eisenhardt Armoring Co. of Cincinnati, who make 90% of the armored cars on the road today, maintain that some people will pay any price or meet any burden for security, particularly if you are a jewelry salesman or an international banker fearful of terrorist attacks.

‘Intrusion-Proof’

Hence, the recent creation of the Personal Security Vehicle.

It’s not armored, and will not offer the kind of protection Presidents take for granted, but it will stave off even the most mischievous neighborhood horror.

“It’s virtually intrusion-proof,” boasted Thomas Burke, vice president of domestic sales for Hess & Eisenhardt, who recently unveiled at a Los Angeles exhibition one of the 250 PSVs the firm plans to build this year.

“I’ve hit the windows 85 times with a 20-ounce ball-peen hammer, followed by another 16 times with a sledge hammer, and then numerable times with a baseball bat. Then I was tired.

“Eventually, the outside layer breaks or is dented. But it is literally intrusion-proof,” Burke repeated.

The OmniGard windows, or “transparent armor” as Hess & Eisenhardt likes to call them, can also withstand shots from small-caliber handguns or shotguns at point-blank range, Burke said.

All-Weather Windows

Further, the windows will easily weather winter in Alaska or summer in the Mojave Desert with built-in resistance to temperatures ranging from 25 below zero to 135 above.

The PSV also features a remote-control alarm system that can be tripped by merely tapping the glass.

Once engaged, the alarm mechanism disables the starter and automatically locks all the doors. If the would-be thief tries to enter, the alarm goes off, flashing emergency lights and sounding the horn.

Then there are door handles that requires both hands to open--one for the handle and the other to press a small, concealed button.

That way, Burke explained, someone unfamiliar with the system or someone holding a gun in one hand would not be able to open the door.

An intercom device enables a person to ask directions without having to roll down the window.

Flat tire or dead battery? No problem, said Burke. The PSV can hobble along up to 10 miles on four flat tires, and the car comes with two batteries. If the battery dies, one need only push a button under the dash and to tap the backup battery.

“Let’s say your wife gets a flat tire outside of a factory in East Los Angeles. Well, she can just drive away from there,” Burke said. “Same thing with having a second battery. You literally cannot have a dead battery.”

Burke said that despite the security apparatus, which also includes an explosion-proof gas tank, emergency first-aid kit and built-in fire extinguishers, the car looks normal, both inside and out.

The only real giveaway is the slight distortion which can be seen in its bullet-resistant glass, which is more than an inch thick.

By the way, there is also no need to worry about ever getting locked in your truck. The PSV comes with an emergency inside trunk release.

“You’d be surprised how often people do get trapped in the trunk,” Burke said.