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Skoda armours the Superb Combi

Skoda armours the Superb Combi Skoda armours the Superb Combi Skoda armours the Superb Combi Skoda armours the Superb Combi Skoda armours the Superb Combi
Skoda estate is bullet- and blast-resistant, but won’t be cheap to buy.

What's the news?

This might look like your common-or-garden Skoda Superb Combi, but it's actually an armoured version that is capable of withstanding bullets and blasts.

Following three years of planning, development and testing, the armoured Skoda Superb wagon is the result of a joint project between the Czech manufacturer and a UK-based conversion company.

This Superb protects its occupants thanks to the use of bullet-resistant glass, high-strength steel and composite materials in its make-up, yet it retains its five-seat layout and gigantic 660-litre boot as part of the process.

The armoured model is based on a standard 2.0 TDI 190hp Superb Combi - and exact details of the conversion have to remain a secret. However, Skoda is prepared to say that the passenger cell has been reinforced to the extent that it meets PAS 300 civilian armoured vehicle requirements for ballistic and blast protection. To achieve this rating, the tough Superb had different types of ammunition fired at it, while it was also subjected to blast and fragmentation threats at an independent test facility.

Both the suspension and braking systems have been upgraded to account for the additional, unspecified weight of the car, although Skoda still claims it can do in excess of 190km/h flat out. Other features incorporated into the design include adapted wheels that allow the driver to get to a place of safety, even if the tyres have suffered a blow-out, an emergency lighting and siren system and an eight-inch touchscreen communications hub with GPS, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality.

Anything else?

Expected to be used by emergency services and to ferry about VIPs, there's a four-week lead-time on building an armoured Skoda Superb Combi. It comes with the manufacturer's three-year warranty as standard, but the price of increased personal safety is high: the Superb costs around three times the price of the car it's based upon.

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Published on May 29, 2018