ARMORED ROLLS ROYCE PHANTOM

Having money in the United States is a dangerous thing but having it in some foreign contries is deadly. People with money become instant targets for murder and mayhem and it's no wonder that Rolls Royce came out with a fully armored version of their Rolls Royce Phantom.

The beefed-up Phantom starts its life as any other does at the factory in Goodwood, but is then sent to an undisclosed independent contractor for fortification. There, specialists install sheets of the latest fiber composites, steel plating, bullet-proof glass and an additional polycarbonate laminate inside the cabin. All the extra protection gives the armored Rolls-Royce the highest VR7 security rating. To cope with the extra weight, the suspension and chassis have been beefed up, but the 453-hp V12 engine carries over unchanged to pull the extra mass.

From the outside the armored Phantom is indistinguishable from its unprotected counterpart. Inside, Rolls-Royce redesigned parts of the cabin to maintain the same standard of comfort and luxury despite the thicker door panels, and customers can still customize their rides to the same degree as any other. The "Phantom Armoured" is going on sale first in Europe and the Middle East, but we doubt it'll be long before Rolls-Royce would respond if American buyers demanded the armored VIP carrier.