Bullet-proof cars otherwise known as armored cars are among the most expensive and highly built cars in the world, the reason for that is based on the features and protection they offer. Early development of automobile vehicles did not include building vehicles that can resist a bullet, the engineers were solely concerned on the durability, aesthetics and production cost. It is believed that first and second age automobile manufacturers did not dream of having a bulletproof car then, even if such thought existed it could be regarded as not being necessary.
The idea of building automobiles with bullet-proof feature started from the military. In a bid to increase the security and combat morale of the soldiers through improved protection, the idea of having armored vehicles came into existence, first in the form of the vest and later to military tanks. Before now, military tanks were built with highly dense metals of high thickness which makes it impossible for a bullet to penetrate but such design makes the vehicle heavy, bulky and unable to move at some soil/land conditions. It did not stay long when the idea and invention of fast-moving, light and armored military vehicles which started dominated the existing ones. It is obvious that armored tanks used during the World War 1 era are heavier and bulkier than the modern armored tanks.
Using armored vehicles for the military was deemed necessary and was quickly adopted by all the countries across the globe because of the benefits they offer in a combat situation.
Due to the numerous advantages and the increased level of political, regional, religious, or statues antagonisms across the globe, many started opting for armored civilian cars known as a bullet-proof car. For security reasons and prestige the request for the bulletproof cars became noticeable, an idea quickly welcomed by auto-manufacturers and was seen to be lucrative seeing the economic side of it.
The approach to building the armored civilian cars started with laboratory tests to identify metals that can be tough enough to resist the impact force of a bullet coming from a gun no matter how close the gun may be. It did not take long when the metal known to contain enough manganese and carbon were adopted coupled with other types of metals discovered at the same time.
The next challenge was how to make a glass to be used in the car windows since it needs to be a bullet-proof glass. In order to obtain a glass that can be bullet-proofed, layers of laminated glasses were brought together and made to pass through a heating and compacting process in a production plant to form a single, aligned, and smooth surface which appears like the normal glass but is thicker and is both bullet-proof and break-proof glass. The glass discovery success quickly pushed the manufacturers to go into the full production process since the major limitations had been overcome. The glasses were made to suit the shape and sizes of the car designs. And the tough metals were shaped just like the shapes of the normal vehicles. The production method, assembling and testing were done just the way other vehicles were made with the exception of the metals and glasses being bullet-proofed materials.
According to research, most conventional cars can be converted into bullet-proof by having their glasses replaced with the bullet-proof glasses and the plates of the bullet-proof metals inserted inside the car body panels or fixed at the outside interior of the car. It is believed that parts of the same car made of bullet-proof metal can be obtainable and be replaced completely on existing conventional car.
However, some said that not all armored cars are completely bullet-proof that their protection level can be according to the type of gun, the gun range, and bullet used in testing the armored cars. But scientific reports had said that the protection of bullet-proof cars is according to their material thickness and quality, and admitted that all bulletproof cars may not have the same protection level. It is believed that some of the cars can absorb the bullet without harming the person inside, some can bend and will not allow the bullet to pass through no matter the distance and gun range, while some may not show any sign of serious deformation or injury on the body and can bounce back the bullet as it hits the body, such category of bullet-proof cars can be seen with high profile personnel across the globe because of their high cost and high security.
The bulletproof glasses have their one side reinforced with a polycarbonate or thermoplastic materials, to increase its strength, and the more layer and thickness, the more protection it can offer.
EFFECTS OF THE ENVIRONMENT ON BULLET PROOF CARS
It is believed that the materials used in making the cars can have a deteriorating effect following its continuous exposure to solvent, ultraviolet radiation, and heats from environmental temperatures. Just like any other vehicle, bulletproof cars have their own lifespan of which the materials may have loosed all of its security features.
