This Armored Aston Martin Vantage Can Stop A .44 Magnum

The door handles are capable of giving attackers an electric shock.

By: Chris Bruce

Mar 28, 2022 at 2:25pm ET

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You're never going to be James Bond, but this bullet-resistant Aston Martin Vantage from AddArmor by Quality Coachworks would provide a little of the feeling of traveling like the super spy. The sports coupe's B4 level of protection can stop rounds as strong as .44 magnum, .357 magnum, and 9mm parabellum.

The armored Vantage has bullet-resistance glass for the windshield and door windows. To keep the weight gain down, AddArmor uses 450-pounds (204 kilograms) of Kevlar. The protection also comes from blast-resistant hardened steel protecting the roof and fuel tank. Composite materials guard the firewall.

Gallery: Aston Martin Vantage By AddArmor

Don't even think about trying to open the door in an effort to pull someone out of this vehicle because AddArmor adds an electric shock function to the door handles.

To escape a bad situation, AddArmor adds run-flat tires. There are covers over the exhaust tips to prevent an antagonist from putting a foreign object into the pipes. The company also revises the suspension to compensate for the added weight from all protective equipment.

As the images (gallery above) show, it's hard to tell that this isn't just a normal Vantage. From the outside, you can see the mesh over in the exhaust outlets, but that's something a lot of people aren't going to notice when this car is on the road.

Similarly, the cabin is just as luxurious as you would expect from a Vantage. Looking at the doors, you can easily see how much thicker the glass is in stock form. Also, there's now a button to activate the electric shock in the door handles.

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The standard version of the latest Vantage makes 503 horsepower (375 kilowatts) and 505 pound-feet (685 Newton-meters) from a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8. The only gearbox choice is an eight-speed automatic. The factory specs indicate that it gets to 60 miles per hour (96 kilometers per hour) in 3.6 seconds. The extra weight from the armor and other modifications would likely result in a slower time for the AddArmor-modified version.

Aston expanded the lineup with the Vantage F1 Edition. It has the same engine but pushes the output to 528 (394 kW) and an unchanged 505 lb-ft of torque. The company also has the limited-run V12 variant with 690 hp (515 kW).