A South African company has produced a VW Golf GTI and Golf R capable of tanking shots from an AK47 rifle.
The super-secure hot hatches are the latest creation to come from SVI, a business operating in Gauteng that specializes in armouring popular vehicles for corporate and private clients alike.
Developed specifically for South Africa, the armoured GTI and R are intended to function as bullet-resistant rapid-response vehicles in urban environments.
The cost of the SVI armouring package is set at R649,500 (excluding VAT), though it must be noted that this does not include the base cost of the car itself.
The Golf GTI has a South African starting price of R804,000, while the Golf R starts at R957,800.
Once an order has been placed, the project will take approximately three months to complete.
Taking protection to the next level
This is not the first time that a local company has produced an armoured version of the high-performance hatchback, as the Johannesburg-based Armormax revealed a bullet-resistant Golf 8 at the start of 2023.
However, this iteration of the concept was certified at a B4 level, which refers to the calibre of firearm it is capable of protecting against.
A B4 rating means a car can withstand shots from powerful handguns such as a .44 Magnum, but a B6 rating means it can take shots from all small arms including assault rifles.
This is what SVI has achieved with its take on the VW, as it can hold its own against an AK47 owing to its use of specialized materials.
The company purposefully excluded composite materials in its design, opting instead to use high-grade 3.5mm armoured steel plates for body parts such as the doors, pillars and even the roof.
The Golf also features a rear bulkhead to protect occupants, which is supplemented by a camera that feeds video to the rearview mirror.
This design helps to save on the cost and weight of the vehicle as the tailgate no longer has to be armoured, said SVI.
Powertrain components are shielded by armour installed in the front fenders, and the battery is given its own bullet-resistant casing.
As for the windows, the addition of ballistic glass means that all of the passenger windows are now fixed in place, though the driver can still open theirs about halfway if need be.
Naturally, the GTI and R’s suspension is uprated to support the changes, though the whole package only adds roughly 340kg to the total mass.
Since the weight gain is so modest, these two cars are still able to function as hot hatches, making them suitable for high-speed pursuits or as non-carrying transports for emergency responders such as paramedics.
As a reminder, the front-wheel-drive Golf GTI features a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine with a substantial 180kW and 370Nm, which normally allows it to accelerate to 100km/h in 6.4 seconds.
The all-wheel-drive Golf R, meanwhile, has an even higher power ceiling of 235kW and 400Nm, which shaves its 0-100km/h time down to 4.8 seconds.
SVI VW Golf GTI
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