In case you were running for the Colombian president’s position in the 1980’s, when Pablo Escobar’s narcoterrorism was crippling the nation, chances were that you’d be blown to bits while sitting inside your car by a bomb surreptitiously planted by one of the drug lord’s many henchmen. However, you would have been slightly better off if you had the new, 2017 Mercedes-Maybach S600 Pullman Guard at your disposal. That’s right, the absolute flagship model from Mercedes-Maybach now comes with VR9 levels of ballistic protection, allowing governments, heads of state and royal families around the world to let their dignitaries waft in peace.
The Pullman Guard’s body shell features protective components of special steel that are integrated into the cavities between the body structure and the outer skin, while special aramid and PE components provide additional splinter protection. The glass areas are coated with polycarbonate on the inside for splinter protection, and the floor armouring covers relevant areas of the underbody to protect the vehicle from blasts. And since you’re one of those with a price on your head, a steel bulkhead positioned behind the seats which secures the head area of the passengers.
As for luxury, the new Mercedes-Maybach S600 Pullman Guard offers the same levels of opulence that the non-special-protection Pullman offers. Just like the lengthy name, the Pullman Guard stretches 6.50 metres long. With a face-to-face seating configuration, an electronically operated glass partition that can change from transparent to opaque at the touch of a button, more headroom than a standard S-Class, an 18.5-inch monitor located in front of the partition wall, leather trimmed, “executive” rear seats that electronically recline up to 43.5 degrees, power operated doors and everything from the headliner, door frames and seat consoles upholstered in high-quality leather, the new Pullman Guard is a palatial castle on wheels.
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With all the armoury going in, the kerb weight of the Pullman Guard is 5.1 tonnes, while its gross vehicle weight is 5.6 tonnes. However, Mercedes reckons that the non-special-protection Pullman’s 5.98-litre twin-turbo V-12 engine, good for 530 hp and 830 Nm of torque is enough. The top speed of the Pullman Guard is electronically limited to 160 km/h. Furthermore, the Pullman Guard can also be specified with sirens, flashing lamps, two-way radios, an emergency starter battery, and an external communication system (loudspeaker/microphone).
The price of the non-armoured version starts at around half a million euro, which amounts to approximately INR 7.5 Crores. The German list price of the Pullman Guard is just under 1.4 million euro (prices include VAT at 19% in each case). The first customers will receive their Mercedes-Maybach Pullman, which of course can once again be highly customised, in September 2016, and the first Guard versions will be delivered in the second half of 2017.
