When it comes to security some celebrities tend to overreact. At least in the eyes of the middle class citizen spending $1 million a year for securing your home seems a little over the top. But that is exactly the case for some of our favorite famous families, like Brad Pit and Angelina Jolie, says Aaron Cohen, director of IMS Security in Hollywood, whose clients have included Katy Perry, Kate Moss and Charlie Sheen. So it’s inevitable that celebrities would want to expand their security periphery putting an armored car in their garages.
Texas Armoring executive vice president Jason Forston says the company has seen demands in the U.S. soar the past five years. “A large part of it is celebrities, pro athletes and rock stars,” Forston says. “You even have a lot of Hollywood executives, studio heads and people not in the spotlight.” Forston credits the “climate of fear right now — the growing gap between the haves and the have-nots” — for the surge in sales. Texas Armoring strips a vehicle to the frame and installs countermeasures like electrified door handles that deliver nonlethal shocks to carjackers and overzealous paparazzi. The finished cars take two to three months to convert at a cost of as much as $100,000 and are virtually indistinguishable from unarmored vehicles.
Whatever the reason is, it is obvious that armored vehicles are getting more and more popular in Hollywood. And car manufacturers are ready to take care of their needs. One of the most extreme examples is the Prombron Iron Diamond made by Latvia’s Dartz Motorz, the same company that built Sacha Baron Cohen’s gold-plated presidential SUV featured in The Dictator. The Iron Diamond (on the picture) is said to be „a girly looking military tank”
Kanye West recently ordered two Iron Diamonds at a staggering cost of $1.2million (£750,000) each, car website Jalopnik reported. It’s not only specialist manufacturers who are meeting the demand. Bentley, BMW and Mercedes, among others, all quietly make armored versions of their upmarket vehicles. The BMW 7 Series High Security can withstand armor-piercing bullets and is outfitted with run-flat tires and a sealed ventilation system in case of attack by chemical weapon.
When it comes to security some celebrities tend to overreact. At least in the eyes of the middle class citizen spending $1 million a year for securing your home seems a little over the top. But that is exactly the case for some of our favorite famous families, like Brad Pit and Angelina Jolie, says Aaron Cohen, director of IMS Security in Hollywood, whose clients have included Katy Perry, Kate Moss and Charlie Sheen. So it’s inevitable that celebrities would want to expand their security periphery putting an armored car in their garages.
Texas Armoring executive vice president Jason Forston says the company has seen demands in the U.S. soar the past five years. “A large part of it is celebrities, pro athletes and rock stars,” Forston says. “You even have a lot of Hollywood executives, studio heads and people not in the spotlight.” Forston credits the “climate of fear right now — the growing gap between the haves and the have-nots” — for the surge in sales. Texas Armoring strips a vehicle to the frame and installs countermeasures like electrified door handles that deliver nonlethal shocks to carjackers and overzealous paparazzi. The finished cars take two to three months to convert at a cost of as much as $100,000 and are virtually indistinguishable from unarmored vehicles.
Whatever the reason is, it is obvious that armored vehicles are getting more and more popular in Hollywood. And car manufacturers are ready to take care of their needs. One of the most extreme examples is the Prombron Iron Diamond made by Latvia’s Dartz Motorz, the same company that built Sacha Baron Cohen’s gold-plated presidential SUV featured in The Dictator. The Iron Diamond (on the picture) is said to be „a girly looking military tank”
Kanye West recently ordered two Iron Diamonds at a staggering cost of $1.2million (£750,000) each, car website Jalopnik reported. It’s not only specialist manufacturers who are meeting the demand. Bentley, BMW and Mercedes, among others, all quietly make armored versions of their upmarket vehicles. The BMW 7 Series High Security can withstand armor-piercing bullets and is outfitted with run-flat tires and a sealed ventilation system in case of attack by chemical weapon.
