British classic sports car Aston Martin is recognised as the number one drive of super-spy James Bond, with his movies featuring a collection of gadget-laden vehicles - and now owners can get their very own bullet-proof Vantage.
Produced by American company AddArmor, the dinky V8 engine Vantage has received a ‘B4’ level of protection, which includes bullet-proof glass, reinforced doors, a bomb-proof roof and even a special shield to protect the fuel tank from stray bullets.
The AddArmor website claims that it turns regular vehicles into ‘mobile safe rooms’ with the boast that they ‘don’t like bad guys, including criminals, terrorists and anarchists.
The company have previously aromured a Ferrari 458 Speciale and an Audi RS7, and whoever opts for the added security of the Aston Martin Vantage can looked forward to an armoured firewall, and even ‘run-flat’ tyres, which allow a vehicle to keep driving even if they are shot at. The bulletproof glass can reportedly take a bullet from a .44 calibre pistol, something Elon Musk might find handy next time he’s promoting his Cybertruck by hitting it with a bowling ball.
You would imagine that all these modifications might make the Aston Martin look like a sports-car on steroids, but there are no obvious tank similarities, and the weight is actually kept to a minimum as the reinforcements are made from Kevlar, only adding an extra 204kg.
“Incorporating our lightweight armouring on this Vantage was of the utmost importance to us because speed is an incredibly valuable asset in dangerous situations out on the open road,” said AddArmor CEO Pete Blaber.
The total cost of adding the armour to your Aston Martin is £24,800.