Mercedes-Benz Guard - On The Line

On Guard
What has the world come to?
Off in a corner of the sprawling Mercedes-Benz factory in Sindelfingen, a suburb of Stuttgart, sits Mercedes-Benz Guard. This little-discussed division of the company has since 1928 provided special-protection vehicles to world leaders, potentates and anyone else with the wherewithal and need to protect their assets. And business is booming. Mercedes-Benz Guard sells 300-500 cars per year and last year sales were up by 20 percent. The company's own information sheet drolly states, "Demand for special-protection vehicles is especially high in the Middle East and the countries of the former Soviet Union as well as in South and Central America and Western Europe."

Two kinds of protection
The Mercedes-Benz Customer Center in Stuttgart has a special Guard exhibit area and that was where we met with Dr. Rainer Gaertner, senior manager for sales and marketing of special protection cars. Right away, he explained one of the keys to the business was discretion. "People don't buy these cars because they love them... they need them," he said. The idea is to travel in a vehicle that looks completely normal despite the high levels of protection it affords. Dr. Gaertner also explained the different types of protection Mercedes-Benz Guard can provide. The first level is called European B4 in armored-car business-speak. This level will resist large-caliber revolver ammunition and is intended for protection primarily against acts of violence and street crime such as robbery, carjacking and kidnapping. He indicated this was for customers in less prominent positions who might be a target for such assaults. The second level is called European B6/B7 and provides protection against heavy assault. The armor on these vehicles is designed to stop bullets from military weapons with velocities almost twice that of a revolver. B6/B7 also offers resistance to shrapnel from hand grenades and explosive charges. This is the kind of protection a targeted head of state or prominent business executive might need to have. To bring home the protection capabilities, Dr. Gaertner showed us a video of four hand grenades detonating, two on the roof and two beneath an S-Class. The standard vehicle was, as you might expect, blown to bits. Clearly there would be no chance for survival. In the next clip, the B6/B7 Guard-protected S-Class withstood the explosion well, without deforming or destroying the passenger compartment. If anybody ever tries to blow me up with four hand grenades, I know what vehicle I want to be in.

Build it strong
After a brief introduction to Mercedes-Benz Guard, we were taken to the assembly line to watch S-Class and E-Class Guard vehicles being built. No cameras were allowed. This assembly line is considered top secret, and for two good reasons. First, the company doesn't want potential bad guys discovering how the cars are built because they might find a way to penetrate their defenses. Second, because this is a business and competitors include BMW and Audi along with a number of aftermarket specialists, Mercedes-Benz doesn't want to give away any trade secrets. Cars are taken from the normal assembly in the bare shell stage and brought directly to the Guard factory. Here additional protective steel is added into the doors, rear bulkhead, firewall, roof, floor, and so on. The doors receive special hinges to resist direct hits by projectiles, but also to carry the heavy bulletproof window glass and upgraded lift mechanisms. The armored door can easily weigh up to 200 pounds more than a stock door, yet must close just as easily. The windows have special polycarbonate layers that resist penetration. New materials that provide even better resistance at lower weights are constantly under evaluation, but the cars are really heavy. A B4 level car will weigh an extra 880 pounds over the standard car, while a B6/B7 level car will carry at least 2,200 pounds more than the original vehicle. All of that extra beef requires rethinking braking and suspension systems and those parts are upgraded too. This points to one advantage of having Mercedes-Benz build you a Guard car over going to the aftermarket. Mercedes-Benz has the resources to upgrade the powertrain, brakes and suspension to make sure your highly protected car still drives and handles like a Mercedes-Benz. What's more, the company understands the need for these cars to be ready and available at all times, so serviceability is a major consideration in the car's development.