Aston Martin Vantage - the most armored supercar

Who said a supercar can't be armored? Apparently, a similar idea appeared in the minds of the employees of the American company AddArmor, who developed an armored version of the British car Aston Martin Vantage. It is not surprising that it was these people who did this, because the staff of the manufacturer consists of former employees of the US special services.

Features of "super-armor"

In the course of numerous improvements to the body elements, the Aston Martin Vantage supercar has acquired bulletproof glass made of polycarbonate and 20 mm thick acrylic. For the safety of the driver and passenger, about 200 kg of Kevlar protection are installed. The roof and fuel tank are protected from bullets by hardened steel, and the contents of the engine compartment are no longer afraid of bullets or other factors due to the reinforcement of this part with durable composite materials.



Why was all this done? At least so that, sitting in a car, you can calmly and without harm to health wait out the shelling from pistols with bullets of 9x19 mm, 5,45 mm, .44 Magnum and .357 Magnum calibers. Thus, the armor of the vehicle complies with the B4 standard. Yes, driving such a supercar under a tank shot is not the best idea, but for these purposes a car of a completely different level is needed, for example, an armored personnel carrier or something more serious.

The armored Aston Martin Vantage, in turn, is more of a toy for wealthy people who want to feel like "Agent 007" than a car for serious use in special operations. What are the stun guns built into the door handles. According to the engineers who upgraded the car, the shockers will protect the driver from an enemy attacking from outside. To activate them, you need to press a special button in the cabin, there is no talk of automation here.

In addition to stun guns, the list of additional equipment includes run-flat tires. As you might guess from their name, tires keep your car running smoothly even when flat. If suddenly the enemy wants to shoot through the wheels, this will not help him stop the pursuit. It is also interesting that special nozzles are put on the exhaust pipes of the armored Vantage. It is assumed that they will not allow foreign objects to be inserted into the pipes.



Surely you thought that all these improvements have greatly affected the mass of the car. In fact, as a result of all the improvements and hanging armor, the weight of the vehicle increased by only 204 kg. Yes, literally every kilogram counts for a supercar, but in this version, the car was definitely not created for completely safe races, where hardly anyone would shoot at the body with a pistol.

What is the original capable of?

The original Aston Martin Vantage, even without armor and other features invented by enthusiasts, is of great interest to the automotive community. In addition, in terms of the technical part, the armored supercar is completely identical to the winding version - the hands of the former intelligence officers did not reach the engine, transmission and other parts, and this was not their main task.

Under the hood

In the engine compartment of both the armored and the original Vantage is a unique V8 engine from Mercedes AMG. Due to the immodest volume of 4,0 liters, the engine produces 510 hp. With. and a torque of 685 N * m. The unit is interesting due to the complexity of the design, in particular, two turbines with variable geometry. The standard V8, taken from Mercedes, was pretty much modified by engineers. They adjusted the control program and launch/release parameters.



The moment from the engine is transmitted to the wheels through an 8-speed automatic transmission brand ZF. In the standard version, the machine weighs 1530 kg, and this mass easily accelerates from 0 to 100 km / h in 3,5 seconds. Top speed is limited to 313 km/h. In the armored version, due to the increased weight, the acceleration time to “hundreds” is barely noticeably longer - 3,6 seconds instead of 3,5.

The car received an active differential, made using E-Diff technology. It redistributes forces to all four wheels without the participation of the driver in such a way as to ensure the greatest possible stability and driving dynamics. The main advantage of the system is its speed: changing the power from standard to maximum takes milliseconds.

About suspension

The Aston Martin Vantage supercar is based on a shortened platform, which also underlies the DB11 model. At the same time, it has been significantly redesigned, with more than 70% of the elements developed exclusively for the new supercar model. The designers of the British company managed to achieve the ideal weight distribution, namely 50:50. It is impossible to say the same about the armored version, since it is not known how 200 kg of armor affected the mass balance.



What definitely improved after installing the Kevlar plates was the stability of the car when maneuvering and cornering. Everything is logical here, since banal physics works - due to the greater weight, the center of gravity of the car has shifted down a little and increased stability.

The suspension of the supercar itself has a completely independent design and is equipped with the latest generation of shock absorbers with the possibility of electronic control. Three driving modes are available to the driver: Sport, Sport Plus and Track. As for the brake system, disc brakes are used for its flawless operation. There are six calipers on the front wheels, four on the rear.

Equipment

Double Vantage is designed for two people - a driver and a passenger. They are equipped with deep bucket seats and an interior designed in the spirit of functional luxury. The sports steering wheel is equipped with controls, the instrument cluster is arranged so that you can quickly read the necessary data from it. There is an 8-inch multimedia system display.



For greater comfort during the trip, the cabin provides dual-zone climate control, heating and airflow for both seats, excellent sound insulation and a professional audio system from Aston Martin. The manufacturer has not forgotten about satellite navigation. There is even a Wi-Fi hotspot. Vantage shows that a supercar should not only be fast, but also comfortable.

Exterior

The body of the car attracts with large wheel arches, embossed wings and short overhangs - both front and rear. With aerodynamics, the car is in perfect order, when accelerating the car, oncoming air flows flow around the body exactly as the company's engineers intended.



It is also interesting that the visually armored Aston Martin Vantage is practically no different from the original version. Differences can only be noticed with close and careful study. Cars give out details such as exhaust tips and glass that is too thick.

Are there similar machines?

Yes, AddArmor already has a whole collection of stock cars redesigned for maximum protection of the driver and passengers. Moreover, some machines even know how to give back. For example, the modernized Cadillac Escalade, in addition to the shockers already mentioned in the door handles, has acquired pepper sprays and a sound gun, equipment for setting up a smoke screen. In addition to this, there is night vision and a number of other "chips".