Customers in the market for armored vehicles
typically look to luxury SUVs and sedans to satisfy their safe mobility needs. But when money is no issue,
chances are you can give the armored treatment to any car you want. Just take a
look at this Aston Martin DB11 modified by Trasco, a Bremen-based company that
specializes in armored vehicles.
The luxury coupé was upgraded to showcase the
company’s new A-Kip (Anti-Kidnapping) lightweight armoring concept. The product
is designed to offer protection “against attacks with handguns, kidnapping,
car-jacking or theft of valuables.”
Basically, the British grand tourer has received
Level 4 armoring in the most weight-effective way. Using ballistic steel
combined with composite materials inside the doors, as well as Level 4
Certified Ballistic Glass all-around, Trasco added less than 150 kg to the standard DB11’s curb weight.
Furthermore, the company claims the gross vehicle
weight remains unchanged so there is “no compromise of the vehicle’s
performance or comfort characteristics.” Since we’re talking about a
V12-powered car with 600 hp and 700 Nm of torque on tap,
chances are the slight drop in performance will only be noticeable on a track.
Trasco claims the A-Kip lightweight armoring concept
can be applied to virtually any vehicle. Besides the weight advantage, the
company says cars given this treatment retain their original appearance, thus
being able to discreetly blend in with traffic.
You can check that for yourself by taking a look at
the photos from Trasco’s JamesEdition ad — the only thing that gives this DB11
away is the windows’ increased thickness. We don’t know how much the A-Kip
lightweight armoring upgrade costs, but we figure that shouldn’t be a problem
for people who can afford a DB11 in the first place.
