Luxury Cars
- Made in Baden-Württemberg -
The former Russian president Boris Jelzin was not the only statesman committed his car to fuss-pot and luxury car designer Edgar Schröck. In Asia Mr. Schröck was received like a states guest and he also was a popular interview partner for many journalists of hip automotive specialist magazines.
It all began in a small garage. One day Audi gave him free rein to construct a special car. The result convinced and Audi let follow orders for total reconstruction of A6 and A8 types, but also the exclusive variant of Mercedes S500, S600 Pullman as a stretch-limo. In addition there were fax, phone and tv features in G-Models, journalists always prefer to use when they drove through crisis areas around the world.
When I met Edgar Schröck in 2004 the first time he was the chief executive and head-designer of OesterleSLR (now Schäfer-Oesterle). The construction hall was full of cars I never seen before: Pullman stretch, Audi A8 and many G-Models. The interior was absolutely the finest: noble wood, fax, satellite phone, electronic working tables, tv with dvd, fridges, radio by Bose with surround-sound, noble leather, internet and separated rear compartment as large as a living room. About the prices and especially the customers Edgar Schröck did not speak about – the “reason is integrity and security” Edgar told me with a grin in his sympathise and easy character!
Anyway, there was nearly no luxury car without armouring. Most cars in the top class of armour B6 / B7. With doors so heavy that I have to spend my whole 70 Kilograms bodyweight to open them. In 2005 Edgar Schröck left the company and founded “Intec Interieurtechnik” with that he is still constructing luxury cars of the most exclusive high-end level.
(TV-Report about Car-Hifi-Tuning, exclusive Motor-Tuning and Interior)
armoured Mercedes G-Modell with hydraulic window-lifter (B6/B7) Door weight: ca. 100 kg
Special protection cars – “tanks” on wheels
Since the terror attacks of 9/11 2001 the market for armoured special cars is booming. Experts rate the production of armoured cars at 4000 pieces yearly – tending upwards fast. In 1930 Mercedes was the first constructing an armoured limousine for the Japanese Emperor Hirohito and nowadays they have the broadest variety with versions of E-Class, S-Class and G-Model. In between Audi and BMW also have been establishing in this niche market.
In most cases the armouring is not constructed by the automotive concerns by there own. Mostly external special companies like Edgar Schröcks Intec Interieurtechnik near Stuttgart creating them. In the same time they become armoured the cars getting ennobled. The desired protection standard is given those cars because of upgrading the chassis radically: the passengers part is coated with thick plates of steel and adamant synthetic fibre (Aramid-Steel-Compounding and also Kevlar). The conventional glasses become replaced with until four centimetre bullet-proof-glass. And safeness before grip-bombs is given by a beefed up antimagnetic base of the car. On the armour class depends, if the car protects before shots by machine-guns or grenades.
For shooting tests the responsible authority in germany is the so called “beschussamt” and they make out documents and licenses for the car constructors. In the case of states limousines there is another authority: it is Germany´s Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) which checks the classes of firepower, the test of shootings and they buy the special protection cars.
Protection-Classes B1 - B7 in weapon-branches splitted
Dragunov (Sniper-rifle)
Calibre 7.62x54 mm Hardcore)
The cars were offered with different protection classes. The scale starts at B1 and ends at B7. Limousines for statesman and presidents are the best armoured cars of class B6 / B7. Spoken with “hard” facts the armouring classes can translated like this: A light armoured B4 car (e.g. Audi A6, BMW 540i, Mercedes E320 and E430) protects before mechanical power and hand fire-guns with revolver munition of calibre 0.44 Magnum. A full armoured limousine with the title B6/B7 (e.g. Audi A8, BMW 750iL, Mercedes E430, S500L, S600L Pullman) have protects attacks with machine-guns, rifles, hand-grenades, explosives, molotow-cocktails and a calibre of 7.62x51.
The expenditure of armouring is extreme and high costly. In comparison to serial cars there is only the exterior look still the same. A full armoured Audi A8 (price of the serial model about 77000 Euro) costs about 250000 Euro. But this is still a moderate price! Mercedes wants for a full armoured S600L Pullman about 600000 Euro. One reason for the high prices: Mercedes, Audi and BMW let construct handmade special security cars of class B6/B7 only 300 till 400 pieces per year.
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