San Antonio – The windshield of a Hummer SUV in Trent Kimball’s shop here is thick like a Webster’s dictionary. One has to pull with both hands to open the vehicle’s armor-plated doors. The wheels have an inner layer of solid rubber in case the tires get shot up. And the gas tank is wrapped with an extra sheet of shrapnel- proof steel.
“It will survive if a hand grenade is rolled underneath this car,” said Kimball, president of Texas Armoring Corp. “Our standard is to meet the challenge of the AK-47. Our tests indicate the windshield will crack but will withstand its close- range fire long enough to allow time to escape.”
It takes about three months to convert a car or an SUV into a fortress on wheels.
And business is good, he said.
Between eight and 10 of the armored vehicles roll out of the shop every month to be delivered to clients in various unstable parts of the world, including the U.S.-Mexico border region where violence and kidnappings occur.
“They now even have what they call express kidnappings,” Kimball said, shaking his head. “They last usually no more than 36 hours, with ransom demands ranging from $5,000 to $10,000.”
Mexican business elites react by hiring bodyguards, buying homes on the quieter Texas side of the Rio Grande and investing in armored vehicles.
Some carmakers, including Ford Motor Co.’s Lincoln brand, sell production armored vehicles. In 2004, Lincoln rolled out the Town Car Ballistic Protection Series, a $144,995 sedan outfitted with bullet-resistant steel and run-flat tire inserts.
The Lincoln vehicles were launched at dealerships in six states: Massachusetts, New York, Virginia, Florida, Texas and California. Ford last week declined to discuss sales.
“I’ve never had anyone ask for one,” said Tom Daniels, general manager of a Lincoln dealership in Lakewood.
“The market for those vehicles is so small,” said Daniel Jumps, sales manager at an Englewood Lincoln dealership. “We wouldn’t have any interest” in selling armored vehicles.
The vehicle upgrades at Kimball’s shop in San Antonio are not cheap, particularly in light of the war in Iraq, which has boosted the price of armor.
The cost of a plate of armor shot up from $250 before the war to $500 in 2004, according to Kimball, but then came down and stabilized around $350 earlier this year.
Armoring increases the market price of a car by $60,000 to $70,000, which means a bulletproof Suburban-type SUV will cost on average $115,000.
It’s a little steep. But given the prospect of ending up kidnapped or worse, it may be worth it for some.
“If you are being kidnapped, such a car could be your only chance. It becomes your weapon,” Kimball said. “Put the pedal to the metal and drive – no matter how many people with guns are in front of you.”
Staff writer Will Shanley contributed to this report.
