Only one weak point
Mercedes S 680 Guard: The safest car in the world
Hopefully our readers' cars survived the New Year's Eve fireworks in good shape - but they are unlikely to withstand any harder fire. There are specialists to meet these demands: Mercedes-Benz is building the S 680 Guard, probably the safest car in the world.
Seven-meter-long stretch limousine, escort and a lot of hoopla: when the US President drives up in his Cadillac One, popularly known as "The Beast", it's really something. In Germany, people are more modest, at least as far as the public image is concerned. The official state car comes from Mercedes and looks like any other S-Class, but has a lot to offer.
Of course, the S 680 Guard is not a normal car. Rather, it is more of a safe on wheels that brings its precious cargo - such as heads of state or members of royal families - safely to their destination. This is why the armored S-Class weighs a good 4.2 tons, around 1.5 tons more than its civilian counterpart. Almost 15 centimetres of thick armored glass forms the windows, while several centimetres of thick plates made of hardened special steel enclose the self-supporting passenger protection cell all around, including on the roof and floor. The aluminum bodywork is draped over the bulletproof armour like a dress.
Highest civilian protection class
Each door weighs 240 kilograms. Electric motors help with opening and closing and ensure that the heavy portals remain in position even on slopes (a discipline that Mercedes has not always mastered well in the past). In addition, the bodyguards always have one hand free, for example to quickly reach for a weapon. Mercedes is the only manufacturer in the world whose protection vehicles meet the highest civilian safety standard VR10 in all areas, explains Sasa Zejnic, Head of Marketing for the Guard models. Everything beyond that meets military standards.
All materials are tested by the ballistics office in Ulm. Its experts fire all kinds of weapons at the samples. In order to receive the coveted safety certificate, the vehicle must meet the VPAM (Association of Test Centers for Attack-Resistant Materials and Constructions) guidelines drawn up jointly by many countries and, for example, withstand shots from snipers or even an explosive attack. This applies not only to the bodywork or windows, but also to the tires. A thick steel belt braid and a hard rubber core ensure that the car is still fit for the road ahead even with flat tires. 30 kilometers at up to 80 km/h are possible in an emergency.
Despite the thickly armored body, the interior dimensions are identical to those of a conventional S-Class. Only the windows protrude a little further into the interior. Zejnic is particularly proud of them. "A technical masterpiece," he says. "Despite the slight curvature and the thickness of the glass, you can see through it perfectly."
Hermetically sealed
The entire car is designed to protect its occupants in all situations. If sensors detect a gas attack, the ventilation flaps lock immediately. At the same time, air is pumped into the interior from a cylinder to create overpressure. As in the James Bond cars, a whole collection of additional pressure switches is mounted next to the driver's seat.
These can be used, for example, to spray extinguishing agent under the floor, activate an external intercom system or switch on an ambient microphone to hear what is going on around the car. Because of the armoring, practically no noise penetrates into the car interior.
The S-Class and S-Guard models were developed in parallel. The aim was to offer passengers in the armored model the same driving experience and comfort as in the standard model. And the same passive safety, for example in the event of an accident. This is why the front end and rear end, including the trunk, are the same as the standard model, i.e. they are not armored. This is the only way they can function as a crumple zone in the event of a collision. However, this also leaves the drive unprotected.
But who buys such a high-security vehicle? "In general, anyone could order an S-Class Guard," says Zejnic. "But of course we check exactly who is in this vehicle and we have to comply with embargo lists." Royal houses, federal authorities - Zejnic is cagey about the customers and also about the price, which in Germany is over 500,000 euros even in the basic version. The fact is that everyone has different requirements, which Mercedes tries to meet. If the Guard is to be used as an official vehicle, for example, a steel plate has to be inserted into the aluminum body to hold the blue light magnet. Six months delivery time is therefore normal.
If it has to be quicker, Mercedes has some vehicles in its pool. If necessary, they are rented out, for example at the G20 summit in Hamburg in 2017.
Under the hood is the same 612 hp engine as in the Maybach model of the S-Class. For now, because Euro 7 could mean the end for the V12. However, in view of the weight and the sensitive battery, which would require additional protection, the question of a future Guard model with an electric drive is superfluous.
This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.
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