I’ve always had a fascination with armored cars, particularly ones that are offered from the auto manufacturers directly. Companies like Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz have offered armored versions of various models for decades, with only a few styling cues differentiating them from a normal vehicle. Whether the occupants be heads of state, CEOs, mobsters or celebrities, these armored luxury cars can protect them from bullets and bombs alike.
Movie franchises like “James Bond,” “Mission: Impossible” and “The Transporter” further increased my dream of driving an armored car. The heroes of those movies are usually hot and doing cool stunt driving in a cool car while getting pursued by baddies and saving the day. Who wouldn’t want a car that could protect you if your real life turns into an action movie? Now BMW is launching a Security Vehicle Training program that will teach you to properly drive armored cars and avoid threats.
BMW’s armored car driving school is hosted at the ex-Soviet Groß Dölln air force base in Berlin, Germany, which was turned into a driving center in 2002 and is the same location where police and emergency services are trained. Action movie jokes aside, BMW says the program is designed for real-life professional drivers “who want to improve their skills in handling special-protection vehicles in order to be optimally prepared for extreme situations.”
The two-day standard course consists of both driving and classroom learning. Armored cars like the 7 Series Protection are much heavier than the already-heavy standard models, so they have different driving dynamics that students will learn how to handle. BMW says there are “realistic practice scenarios” that include “escape situations,” with promotional videos showing scenes like a 7 Series driving through an explosion and then performing a J-turn.
Other activities include evasive driving in a slalom course at night, alternating between different headlight settings; high-speed evasive maneuvers through twisty corners; and being “confronted with explosions on a confusing forest road.” There are eight students per group with two passengers per car, which adds to the thrill of the experience.
The Level 2 course spans three days and really brings the adrenaline. You’ll get trained in escape maneuvers under gunfire and pyrotechnics, defensive driving with vehicle contact, nighttime ambushes and “significant bodywork damage also test the mental strength of the training participants.” This course also includes off-road training with the armored X5 SUV, which is a literal ton heavier than the standard model.
BMW says the new 7 Series Protection lineup — which includes an i7 electric version for the first time — provides occupants the ultimate level of protection while retaining “remarkable ride comfort and spaciousness” and BMW’s signature driving dynamics. The 7 Series is in the VR9 protection class, set by the Association of Test Centres for Attack-Resistant Materials and Constructions (VPAM), and its VPAM 10 glass is the highest level of resistance for civilian armored cars, a classification that can be extended to the doors too. It can protect against explosives targeted at both the roof and the underbody, like those from drone strikes or hand grenades.
There’s an intercom system, a self-sealing fuel tank, an automatic fire extinguisher, a fresh-air supply system, unique suspension tuning, and special Michelin PAX runflat tires. And yet it’s also still offered with all of the 7 Series’ luxury trappings, from BMW Individual paint colors and cashmere massaging seats to Level 2 driver-assist features. From the outside, aside from sets of hidden lights and thicker glass surrounds, you’d never be able to tell.
The website for the training program doesn’t list prices, which are certainly in the “if you have to ask…” range. Both courses include the overnight stays and insurance. And sadly, the site also says that the courses are “only for professional drivers of security vehicles.” BMW, please, if you’re reading this, make an exception just for me.
