Mercedes-Benz owners may boast that their doors close “like a bank vault” or praise their vehicles “bulletproof” nature – an ability to travel great distances unaffected by environmental conditions or speed limits. This 1995 Mercedes-Benz S600 armored sedan takes that reputation to a whole new level where bullet-proof requires no quotes, because this limousine-black sedan literally protects you from small-arms fire should you be attacked by terrorists, gang-bangers, or Black Friday shoppers rioting over the “Doodle Horse” or other must-have toy. Thanks to Rocco B. for spotting this Imperial chariot on Inland Empire craigslist with what we must assume is a fictional asking price of $388,888.
This picture shows the sandwich of laminated glass necessary to prevent bullets from reaching the car’s interior. The armored conversion by TRASCO may not quite deliver the movie magic of the pair of bulletproof Mercedes in Paramount Pictures’ 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, but it certainly offers more protection than your Chevy Spark.
In the movie, the …Benghazi cars were purchased by deposed Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, then later lifted by American mercenaries operating as contractors for the CIA. Today’s feature car began life in the service of “The Sultan of Brunei,” at a cost of $900,000. It features three-inch glass, half-inch steel plating, and a 7600 lb curb weight.
While the listing describes a six cylinder engine, this picture and the car’s badges denote the M120 6.0L V12 more befitting a high-rolling Sultan. Its 389 HP and 420 ft-lb of torque propel the standard 4800 lb S600 to 60 MPH in under six seconds (thanks to jalopnik.com for some details). An extra 2800 lb of bullet-stopping bulk no doubt hampers quick takeoffs and panic-stopping, but that’s a small price to pay when you need insulation from the angered masses. Pretend you’re an arms dealer or crime boss for a moment… What price would you pay for this rolling safe house?
Did they mean $3,888?
This was the car Tupac Shakur & B.I.G were suppose to buy .
An ouch by Too Late! Had they read your comment, one of them might put a cap in yo butt, if they were still alive!
Mercedes never made Tupac version
Nope, that’s not a fictional price. If the Sultan had $900,000 in it, this person would want to get $388,888! Although I always thought people shopped Craigslist for a dishwasher for $100, or a Mercedes that was around $13,000, not $375 THOUSAND more than that! Hey, for every salesman out there there’s a sucker willing to part with his money. I think he may have this one for a while though.
Lol.. I completely misread the price until I read Johnny Joseph’s comment and went back and recounted the number of eights.
I think I’ll stick with what I thought was the price
Yeah if I was a wanted man DOA and have to leave your guarded mansion
At times I’d buy this cause you can’t go to the Pentagon and say can I purchase one of your armored humvees
You know the kind you use in Afghanistan
🤘😎
This same car was listed on eBay 4 years ago.
https://bringatrailer.com/2014/01/12/7600lb-bulletproof-1995-mercedes-benz-s600/
I wonder what it went for then
Wonder if it has the rocker panel flame-throwers, to keep admiring fans at bay?
Great for saving your butt from ordinance of the day 23 years ago, not sure I’d trust my life in it with today’s. Besides,what kind of life is it if you wake up everyday wondering if someone wants to kill you?
Tupac , Notorious B.I.G.
I was living in Wurzbürg Germany when Mercedes was road testing these vehicles all over the countryside. The were enormous back then, so much so that the test vehicles had to have a special permit because they were so damn heavy! Beautiful car, and having driven one state side they finally came into production, someone will love this car for a very long time.
Mike I am not so sure about keeping one for a very long time. This generation of Mercedes had some very serious issues with the air conditing and heating systems. Mercedes had lowered the quality of materials and about 10 years after they went out of production there was a rash of failures. Since at that time the cost of repair was what the cost of the car was you can find a great many of these for sale at a much lower cost than the preceding 560 models.
The reason for the cost was the requirement for a complete removal of the front seats, steering wheel and dash from the car to fix the damaged parts. Massive job that has really damaged Mercedes reputation. The later generation cars after this one were better but there are still some issues but not a bad as this series. If Mercedes ever made a lemon this was the one. This included both the 500 and 600 series.
The armoured W140’s had special wheels and tires. This one doesn’t. They must have been swaped for cheaper tires…not sure they’ll stand the extra weight with the BHP…
I myself own a S600L. It’s the redesigned phase 1, call it a PH 1 1/2.
Beautifull and very complexe car, but you can still repair it at home. They were the last high quality Mercedes. After that, it went downer and downer…
There are some known issues :
Air conditionning evaporator on some cars. Compatibility problem with aluminium and copper parts I heard.
Wire insulation cracking because they used some bio product that didn’t hold heat and time. Upgraded harness are available but at some cost…many Mercedes of that period (say 90-96) are victims of this
Air assisted door (soft close) because of leaks over time. You have to adress this quick or the air pump will go out (expensive…of course as usual).
Lets not forget that these cars were very complicated and over engineered and over equipped so with time and little care (cheap car to buy, VERY expensive to repair so don’t let things go bad…) from numerous PO, you can end up with a money sucker.
Best to buy an expensive used one that has been pampered.
More?
Front
And the engine
Here is a picture of the armoured cars wheels and tires : https://www.wallpaperup.com/uploads/wallpapers/2013/08/09/130205/d41b55031591c1037f5fdade01e73e69.jpg
They look horrible and “truck” like tires.
I remember driving around Los Angeles on a trip several years back. Just driving around like a tourist and ended up in a bad neighborhood. Suddenly I was feeling a bit anxious as my fuel gauge was on E and I realized I had ventured into Compton. I found a Mobil station and stopped for a few squirts of fuel and was immediately surrounded by “homeless window washers” that started to wash my windshield with dirty wet rags. I didn’t get out of my car until i took all the cash from my wallet except for a couple bucks. Then I got out and handed each a dollar and attempted to put fuel in the tank. Then other homeless saw I had paid and immediately came over to rewash my windows.From somewhere down the street I heard rapid gunfire. At this point I stopped at about 2 gallons on my credit card and jumped back into the car. Took off the way I came. I don’t think the price of this vehicle is bad at all! LOL
Imagine if you were in a Tesla and had to wait for an hour to recharge the car before you could move again.
Compton doesn’t have EV chargers, . . . . . . they got stolen
I’ve had a couple of armored vehicles, and as someone who was connected [25+ years ago] to several Middle-eastern “Gulf States” Royals, who I consulted with for special cars, I can tell you if you want a Benz that’s armored, that may well be a very cheap price, assuming it’s not been messed with. I would insist on seeing all the paperwork & drawings on the car, and make sure it really is from the Sultan’s Garage. Approached thru proper channels, I suspect they would be happy to confirm or deny the car.
Then why so cheap? Guys in the Sultan’s position are known to present gifts like this car to people he wants to thank in a special way. Having run my car shop just north of Washington DC, that’s how I ended up with some armored vehicles over the years. I’d rather sell a $500,000 car quickly for $388,888 or less, if I have little invested in it!
I wouldn’t be surprised if this car gets sold to Mexico, due to rampant “economic kidnapping” down there.
Vehicle price will depend on what level armor specs were chosen for the various locations on the car [undercar body panels, Flexible Kevlar wraps around suspension areas, side intrusion levels [if I remember, there are 5 levels]. Other options include armoring the trunk & engine areas too.
For a standard sedan armoring selection of options, they DO include the stuff you see in movies: Oil slicks [usually silicone oil or vegetable oil], tire flattening spikes, paint spraying, etc.
And, yes there are the special option lists for Government spec vehicles, like a Chevy Suburban with a opening roof section to mount a remote control 50 Cal machine gun, LAW, or grenade launchers.
It’s very easy to take a Top-line Mercedes, Suburban, Cadillac, Rolls-Royce, Daimler or other vehicle, and end up with a “full-lineup” of equipment, services, and threat levels, to top over $1,000.000
I’m curious why they chose to use 1/2″ Steel armor plate on this Benz, when solid Woven Kevlar usually works better, and is far less weight. Kevlar has been around as a vehicle armor choice since the early 1970s, earlier for the US Military. If a bomb or IED goes off under the car, Kevlar has the ability to flex slightly, absorbing some of the impact, but steel passes on most of the impact. Kevlar also fractures along the same plane, parallel to the main surfaces. This allows it to grab and hold small pieces of shrapnel, locked in the woven webbing.
Bill McCoskey, it sounds like you know what you are talking about. If it is the same vehicle, it was apparently in Missouri in 2014, per commenter RITON. So the car has not been in the Sultan’s hands for awhile now. See this old listing: https://bringatrailer.com/2014/01/12/7600lb-bulletproof-1995-mercedes-benz-s600/
Correction: Jack M. was commenter who posted the link to the 2014 eBay listing for this vehicle, not RITON.
I’ve read comments on other armored-sedan postings before which discuss the limited lifespan of things like bulletproof glass. By the time it gets as old as this car’s, it doesn’t have anything like the strength and stopping power it did when new. So this car is basically a massively overweight white elephant that probably can’t provide the protection it was built for. It’s a curiosity at best, and probably worth less than a standard car.
I was next to an S600 last weekend on route 23 here in good old NJ. Not an armored version like this one, but looked about the same. These cars definitely have a presence on the road.