BMW has a more-than-40-year history of producing factory-built armored rides — an endeavor that’s now carried out exclusively by the Bavarian brand’s special BMW Protection Vehicles division. And while it currently makes an attack-proof version of the X5 — known as the X5 Protection VR6 — the company has now opted to bestow the same treatment onto its flagship sedan, resulting in the new BMW i7 Protection and BMW 7 Series Protection.
Both vehicles are constructed around the brand’s new BMW Protection Core. Forming a self-supporting protective cell, this heavily-fortified setup sees the vehicle’s entire supporting structure and bodywork constructed from insanely-rugged — and literally bullet and bombproof — hot-formed armored steel alloy. Engineered to withstand everything from grenades to bullets to drone attacks with explosive charges, the BMW Protection Core has been combined with specially-developed Michelin PAX run-flat tires, full underbody armoring, protection-spec doors, and armored safety glass that can stop 7.62x54mm rounds. Classified as offering class VR9 protection with the ability to withstand VPAM 10 ammunition, both models also achieve an equally impressive PAS 300 explosive-resistant rating.
Powering the fully-electric i7 Protection is a dual motor setup cranking out a collective 400kW (536hp) and just shy of 550 instantaneous foot-pounds of torque. Offered exclusively with the brand’s xDrive all-wheel-drive system, the 7-Series Protection is kicked along by a turbocharged mild-hybrid 4.4-liter V8 that’s good for 523hp and 553ft-lbs of torque. The 7 Series Protection also features a self-sealing fuel tank. Unsurprisingly, the addition of all the armor and security items add a considerable amount of weight that has a major impact on both vehicles’ performance. The Protection i7 boasts a 9-second 0-60mph time, which is almost double that of the non-armored model’s 4.7-second time. The i7’s normally 150-mph top speed has also been electronically limited to just 99mph. The 7 Series Protection now offers a 6.6-second 0-60mph time — down from 4.1 seconds — and a top speed of 130mph.
The 2024 BMW 7-Series and BMW i7 Protection are slated to make their official public debut next month at the upcoming IAA Mobility Show in Munich. While pricing has yet to be revealed for either model, the company has stated that the i7 Protection will be reserved exclusively for the European market. What’s more, in addition to the cars themselves, BMW is also offering tactical training courses to teach drivers how to properly pilot an armored vehicle through a variety of different control exercises, response scenarios, and comprehensive theory sessions.
