Apr 20 2004
With glass 1.6 inches thick, the 2004 Town Car Ballistic Protection Series (BPS) can stop high-powered rifle rounds. It is surrounded by bullet-resistant steel and lightweight ceramic panels, both of which shatter bullets on impact. It satisfies high-powered assault rifle test standards that fall under the National Institute of Justice Level III, as well as rounds covered by the proposed NATO Level I.
The new Lincoln Town Car BPS has the highest level of ballistic protection commercially available from any automotive manufacturer in North America, and it is Lincoln's first production armored vehicle.
"Luxury and elegance have been hallmarks of Lincoln vehicles for more than eighty years," said Darryl Hazel, Lincoln-Mercury president. "The Lincoln Town Car BPS now makes it possible for people to not just travel well -- but travel well protected."
Town Car BPS sedan has been designed, engineered and tested by Ford Motor Company to provide armored protection without compromising driving performance, crash durability or luxury offerings found in a typical Lincoln Town Car. Each model is hand built. It takes approximately 300 hours and four build technicians to fully outfit the interior of one BPS in a cocoon of armor.
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Ballistic steel bullet-resistant plates on the Town Car BPS help prevent bullets from entering the passenger compartment. |
While many competitive security vehicles limit their defense to protection against handguns, the Town Car BPS neutralizes rounds from a range of firearms such as a .38 special, .357 Magnum, 9mm submachine gun, 7.62mm high-powered rifle, 5.56mm high-velocity assault rifle and others.
This strength comes from a host of innovative technologies. Ballistic steel bullet-resistant plates in the interior help prevent bullets from entering the passenger compartment. An advanced, defense-inspired ceramic material used on some vertical surfaces has an acutely hard strike face that breaks up bullets and disperses their energy.
A thick ballistic blanket of interwoven Aramid fiber on the undercarriage helps provide limited blast protection. Similar to the material used in soft body armor, these sophisticated threads are woven together and act like a catcher’s mitt to stop shrapnel from entering the passenger compartment.
Town Car BPS also comes equipped with run-flat tire inserts that allow the vehicle to keep moving even when tire pressure is completely compromised. These polymer wheel inserts allow 30-mph speeds for up to 30 miles depending on road and driving conditions.
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Polymer wheel inserts on the Town Car BPS allow someone to drive up to 30 mph for up to 30 miles with a flat tire depending on road and driving conditions. |
From the outside, the BPS looks nearly identical to a conventional Town Car. Ride height, window cavities and exterior badges and trim are no different from a base Town Car. Inside, the Town Car BPS is virtually indistinguishable from the Town Car Executive Series, which includes rich leather, polished satin-nickel settings and burled walnut accents. The only options are $2,995 power rear windows with a patented gas-strut lift system and a $1,995 modified fuel tank designed to reduce leakage after a ballistic event.
Competitively priced (for armored vehicles) at $144,995, the Town Car BPS is available through six authorized Lincoln dealerships in the United States. Authorized dealerships have to complete sales and training requirements before being certified to sell the vehicles.
The six dealerships include: Acton Lincoln Mercury in Acton, Massachusetts; Manhattan Lincoln Mercury in New York, New York; Cherner Lincoln Mercury in Annandale, Virginia; Miami Lincoln Mercury in Miami, Florida; John Eagle Lincoln Mercury in Dallas, Texas; and Galpin Lincoln Mercury in Van Nuys, California.
Potential Town Car BPS customers include corporate executives, political dignitaries, government agencies, private citizens and leasing agencies. The vehicles will be sold internationally through a small number of certified dealerships in the Canada, Mexico, the Middle East and in other markets around the world through Ford's Worldwide Direct Market Organization.