VIP vehicles

As firearms become increasingly widespread, it becomes more and more necessary for those in the public eye, such as celebrities, top business people or politicians, to ensure they protect themselves at all times, including on the move.

Top vehicle manufacturer BMW has recognized this pressing need, and has responded to it by incorporating panels made with Dyneema® in its ‘Protection Line’ range of vehicles. These top-range vehicles protect passengers against most handgun ammunition. And because the panels made with Dyneema® are so light, these cars are virtually indistinguishable from the original versions.

Panels made with Dyneema® offer protection against the full range of ammunition defined in European Standard EN1522-1, from commonly used handgun ammunition such as Magnum bullets to 9mm Full Metal Jacket bullets.

Armor panels made with Dyneema® are considerably lighter than conventional steel armor, weighing less than 5kg/m2: using armor made with Dyneema® in a door adds only 1.5kg to a small vehicle or 2kg to a full-size car.

The temperature inside a car door can vary between -40C and 75 C, depending on weather conditions. At the same time, there is always a risk of water entering through the window opening. Tests have shown that the level of protection provided by panels made with Dyneema® remains constant at any temperature in this range, and is affected neither by water nor by ice.

Because Dyneema® is so strong, panels for protection against handguns can be less than 6mm thick, making them easy to fit in the car doors.