2000 Bmw 740il Protection (factory Installed Light Armor Vehicle 58k Miles) on 2040-cars

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BMW 740iL Protection

A car with skin as thick as the billfold of its intended owner.

·        PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID DEWHURST

So we're cruising down the Antelope Valley Freeway at, shall we say, 85 mph when this Honda Accord, doing about 55, suddenly swerves into our lane.

No big deal, it happens all the time, so we tap the turn signal and prepare to move into the right lane. The Accord's signal comes on, too, and the car feints to the right. Okay, cool, we cancel the turn signal and stay where we are. But so does the Accord, when we're just yards from running into it, and we have to swerve hard into the right lane to avoid rear-ending it. Then, as we peer indignantly over at the Accord, we see two young, shaven-headed bozos giving us the mad-dog stare.

Normally, we'd exercise prudence. After all, these could be gangbangers, and they could be packing. But we're in a BMW 740iL Protection, see, so we display their IQ count, raising a single middle finger. Hey, what are they gonna do? Open fire? We have thick bullet-resistant glass with polycarbonate skins (to retain glass splinters in the event of damage from projectiles) and aramid armor in the doors and bulkheads. What's more, we have Michelin run-flat tires that can take a round and still keep the car on the road. Also, heh-heh, the car weighs 4780 pounds, enough to punt those little bald bastards into the canyon without breaking a sweat.

Okay, this isn't the kind of thing BMW encourages. You know, aggression based on superior armament. The Protection car is really intended for those people-captains of industry, political figures, and leaders of multinational Colombian agricultural cartels-who may fall victim to kidnapping or assassination attempts.

For them, the $33,000 (plus tax) premium is worthwhile. For the driver-probably a chauffeur cum security guy who's completed a course in terrorist evasion-the payoff comes from driving a car that doesn't feel like a Brink's truck. Sure, the body armor and thick glass add weight and raise the 740's center of gravity, which sometimes makes it tip alarmingly when entering bends. But the thing steers nicely, and its roadholding-at 0.79 g on the skidpad-is good enough to give you a fighting chance in a car chase.

The weight gain of 466 pounds endured by the 740iL Protection doesn't inhibit that lusty 4.4-liter V-8 much, either, although you can feel it isn't quite as strong here as in the standard car. Still, the performance figures aren't hurt too badly, and the car's 0-to-60 sprint is just 0.5 second slower (at 7.7 seconds), while the quarter-mile zips by in 16.0 seconds at 90 mph instead of 15.6 seconds at 92 mph. Braking performance, at 190 feet from 70 mph, measured 22 feet longer than that of our last 740iL, but our test surface had been recently resealed and was a bit greasy.

It sounds nuts to restrict speed in a car designed for a role where outrunning the bad guys could save your life, but the 740iL Protection bound for the U.S. market wears H-rated versions of the run-flat Michelins. So it's governed to a quoted 128 mph. (Ours actually ran 131 mph.) European models are allowed to reach 149 mph. Why's that? Do you suppose U.S. criminals drive slower cars?

The thicker sidewalls and integral support rings in the run-flat tires hide symptoms of under inflation, so a pressure-loss warning system is fitted as standard.

Other standard-equipment items include manual privacy shades on the rear side glass and a power rear-window shade. A $1700 optional console mounted in the rear center armrest is there to control the front-passenger-seat position, the climate control, the sound system, and the power shade.

With loads of aramid armor and heavy glass added to the 7-series structure, you'd expect even greater body rigidity than usual. But that's not what you get. The extra weight carried by the car's super-structure produces occasional quivering and shuddering when the car hits rough surfaces. Vibrations course through the steering column, too, in a way they don't in a standard soft-skin 7-series.

Clearly, added heft in these areas com-promises a vehicle's perceived rigidity, but fortunately not enough in normal driving to be a major hindrance. Besides, there's compensation offered by way of reduced noise. The thick glass and door panels attenuate noise even better than in a stock 740iL, with sound levels at idle down to 40 decibels and with 70-mph cruise readings as low as 61 decibels. So there's no need to shout on the car's standard equipment cell phone, and you can scream in frustration at the slow, second-rate navigation system without being heard outside.

Indeed, the interior is so isolated from outside noise that an outside/inside intercom is offered in Europe, with external speakers mounted in the bumpers. That's useful, because the rear compartment's side glass in Protection models is permanently fixed. Unfortunately, we don't get the intercom over here.

The most remarkable thing about the 740iL Protection is that it takes close scrutiny to see that there's anything different about it at all. The thick glass is so well integrated into the bodywork that passengers are only really aware of it when one of the front-seat occupants opens a window. Then you see the thick glass and the peculiar metal band across the top of the pane that seals the window when it's shut.

The front windows are still power-operated, with a one-touch, express-down feature. For technical reasons, pinch protection could not be fitted to these special windows, so you have to keep your trigger finger on the button to see the glass go all the way up. There's a substantial—and satisfying—thud when the hefty glass pane reaches the limit of its travel.

You'll certainly notice a tangible weight increase in the doors if you park on a slight incline and have to shove them open uphill. Although the typically stern BMW door detent points appear to have been beefed up to handle the ponderous door mass, it can still be a battle getting them open or shut. Of course, if you have a muscular ex-Marine as your driver, this is not a problem.

BMW describes the Protection range (which includes a 750iL in the U.S.) as "enhanced security vehicles." Unlike some of the super-pricey vehicles from O'Gara-Hess & Eisenhardt, whose brochures list the kinds of high-velocity ammo they'll deflect, BMW makes no specific claims about how much protection you'll actually get. It's much better than in the standard car, for sure, and for citizens of New York and Los Angeles, where it seems possible to be shot by cops who might mistake your cell phone for a deadly weapon, that's enough to provide meaningful reassurance. 

Hess & Eisenhardt, now owned by Kroll-O'Gara, has been helping protect every President of the United States since 1948, as well as supplying the military with, among other things, Humvees armored against land-mine attack. The company produces both light-armored and fully armored vehicles. Light-armored vehicles (LAVs) like the 740iL Protection provide defense primarily from handgun assault. If you want protection against heavier weapons, you'll need a fully armored vehicle, or FAV. An FAV will usually require drivetrain and chassis modifications to deal with the huge increase in weight, but the vehicles are able to withstand bomb blasts as well as onslaughts from high-powered rifles. Typical equipment would include perimeter, floor, and roof armor; multilayered glass; a remote starter with a bomb scan; two batteries; ram bumpers; run-flat tires; two-handed door openers; oil spray; blinding lights; and gun ports. The cost can run into hundreds of thousands of dollars.

O'Gara-Hess & Eisenhardt can convert more than 50 models of sedans and SUVs. The typical cost for a light-armor conversion of a Jeep Grand Cherokee or Chevy Suburban would run somewhere between $30,000 and $50,000, not including the price of the vehicle. Call 513-874-2112 for more information. Just because you know you're paranoid doesn't mean you don't need an armored vehicle.

—BW 

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 4-door sedan

PRICE AS TESTED: $104,854 (base price: $103,069)

ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, Bosch Motronic M5.2.1 engine-control system with port fuel injection
Displacement: 268 cu in, 4398cc
Power (SAE net): 282 bhp @ 5400 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 324 lb-ft @ 3700 rpm

TRANSMISSION: 5-speed automatic

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 120.9 in Length: 201.7 in
Curb weight: 4780 lb

C/D TEST RESULTS:
Zero to 60 mph: 7.7 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 9.9 sec
Zero to 130 mph: 40.3 sec
Street start, 5-60 mph: 7.9 sec
Standing 1 /4-mile: 16.0 sec @ 90 mph
Top speed (governed): 131 mph
Braking, 70-0 mph: 190 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.79 g

FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city driving: 17 mpg
C/D-observed: 16 mpg

 Forbes Article

Dodging Bullets In A Bimmer
Arik Hesseldahl, 09.19.00, 12:47 PM ET

Being wealthy often involves risk. For some, it's taking a private equity stake in an unproven startup company. But for others, wealth can be downright dangerous, including dodging the occasional flying bullet. 

Minimizing that risk, at least while on the road, is the idea behind lines of armored luxury automobiles available from BMW (otc: BAMXF - news -people) and DaimlerChrysler's (nyse: DCX - news - people) Mercedes-Benz. 

We took BMW's year 2000 740iL Protection Model out for a spin. As the driver's-side door closes with a heavy thud, you may feel invincible behind its wheel. And to a point, you are. The doors, roof, rear bulkhead and wheel housings are lined with a bullet-resistant material. The windows and windshield are bulletproof glass. And the tires are specially outfitted to run for 50 miles at a top speed of 50 miles per hour with no air pressure. 

Of course, this security comes at a price. The 740iL Protection Model carries a suggested retail price of $101,670, compared to the standard 740iL, which runs about $67,000. A higher-end 750iL Protection car goes for about $125,000, compared to about $93,000 for the standard model. 

From the outside, it looks no different from any other BMW 740iL, and that's the idea. 

Nor does it feel much different behind the wheel. The protective armoring and heavier glass adds only 300 to 350 pounds, giving the car a total weight of 4,630 pounds, BMW says. The extra weight isn't very noticeable while driving. But there is a slight sluggishness when starting from a complete stop. 

The primary protective material used in the car's body is called Aramide, which is made by the Dutch company Acordis. Once a subsidiary of Dutch chemical giant Akzo Nobel (nasdaq: AKZOY - news - people), Acordis is now mostly owned by CVC Capital Partners, with Akzo holding a 21% minority stake. The Aramide material, sold under the brand-name Twaron, is Europe's answer to Kevlar, a lightweight bulletproof material made byDuPont (nyse: DD - news - people) 

Dave Hand, an Acordis technician based in Conyers, Ga., says the Aramide material feels like a burlap potato sack to the touch, but will resist penetration by a bullet up to a .44 Magnum. And like Kevlar, it can often be found in protective vests and body armor used by police officers. When used in car armor, the Aramide is combined with a strong polymer material to make it more rigid. 

The BMW's .75-inch-thick glass is reinforced with composite steel at the edges and a layer of polycarbonate sandwiched between two layers of glass. The inner layer of glass is fortified with an antilacerative film to protect passengers from small glass shards that may fly around on impact with a bullet. Like the Aramide armor, it will stop a bullet fired from a gun up to a .44 Magnum, BMW says. It will also stop a sledgehammer. We tested neither claim. 



Inside there are few differences from a standard 740iL. It comes with the same standard on-board computer and global positioning system-based navigation system as the 740iL. In a test drive from Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y., to Manhattan, we let the soothing female voice successfully navigate us home. It also comes with a cellular phone as standard equipment, which the computer can use to call for emergency help. And a modified suspension system quickly adapts to sudden changes in the road or other driving conditions. 

But there are a few differences. The backseat has an armrest in the middle which hides controls for the stereo system and for repositioning the front seat, allowing the backseat passenger more leg room. Also, the rear passenger windows don't open. Nor can you get a sunroof, as the roof is armored.

BMW spokesman Dave Butchko says the target market for its Protection cars are executives and celebrities who might have to deal with the occasional security threat. The company refuses to say how many it has sold or how many it expects to sell. 

DaimlerChrysler said last month it plans to get into the protection-car business as well with the Mercedes-Benz S500 Guard. That car will go on sale in November with a suggested retail price of about $154,000. The company didn't have a model available for testing. 

As armored vehicles go, the BMW we tested and the Mercedes coming in November qualify as "light armored" vehicles, meaning they won't stop a rocket-propelled grenade or an AK-47 assault rifle. Nor will they protect passengers from such esoteric threats as a gas or chemical attack. 

For that kind of protection, you'll have to visit a company like O'Gara-Hess & Eisenhardt, a unit of security company Kroll-O'Gara (nasdaq: KROG -news - people), which has outfitted the limousines for every U.S. President since Franklin Roosevelt. The company has a six-tiered system for ranking the protection abilities of a car, running from level I, which includes alarm systems and smash-resistant glass meant to prevent theft. The BMW we tested and the Mercedes falls into level II, which covers protection from handguns. Levels III through VI include features like protection explosives and armor-piercing bullets, emergency oxygen and fire-suppression systems. 

So who needs so much protection? Ask Eduard Shevardnadze, President of the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. In 1998, 20 armed attackers opened fire on his motorcade, and the Mercedes limousine he was riding in sustained three hits from a grenade-launcher. The car was left a twisted mess, and two bodyguards died, but Shevardnadze survived. Can your car do that?