the next humvee? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

benzene · #1 08-26-2006, 06:15 PM

I can imagine a discontented cube-dwelling wage slave driving one of these to work, a latte in one hand and a cellphone in the other... but can he wrangle it into just one parking space in the company parking garage? That, folks, is the question.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1156456211222&call_pageid=968332188492&StarSource=RSS=hum

Quote:

When a Hummer won't do
In the past, politicians and rock stars fed the urban armoured car business.
But with security fears on the rise, so is demand

It can stop a bullet from an AK-47, shrug off a roadside bomb, and it makes a Hummer look like a chick car.

The $200,000 (U.S.) Gurkha is coming to a road near you — thanks to a King City-based company that is finding itself in demand because of the global war on terror.

"They are pretty awesome machines," says William Whyte, owner of Armet Armored Vehicles Inc., the company that builds the Gurkha. "We've been stopped on roads with people taking pictures and wanting to know what they are."

The Gurkha can go more than 150 kilometres per hour — plenty fast for a military vehicle — and is the highest level of protection you can get next to sitting in a tank, Whyte says. It certainly looks fierce enough.

The squat 8,620 kilogram vehicle looks every bit the ticked-off hedgehog, bristling with testosterone and armour plating.

...The first civilian delivery is for a "well-known personality" in California that will take place next month, Whyte says. The customer, who is a friend of California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, intends to use it as daily transport, Whyte says. "It's a very California mentality to have the biggest and the best."

It's also in the spirit of one-upmanship. Schwarzenegger was the first civilian to take ownership of a Hummer military vehicle — which most famously kick-started sales of the armoured car.

Whyte is likely hoping for a similar halo effect, especially since the Gurkha is also slated to star in a Discovery Channel Europe documentary to be released later this year.

...In addition to military vehicles, a whole new market is emerging in acquiring armoured cars that look like everyday cars for business executives who care about security, Pecalevski says.

"A few years back, the only people really buying personal armoured cars were rock stars, rap stars, or divorce lawyers," Whyte says. "But that's been changing since 9/11 and the latest problems we've been having."

Unlike the over-the-top Gurkha, likely to find a niche among celebrities who crave a bling factor, most clients want discreet armour so as not to tip off potential assailants, Pecalevski says.

In one corner of the Inkas factory in an industrial unit in West Toronto, two men are applying steel plating to the bottom of a black Chevrolet Suburban. The van has been stripped clean. Kevlar will be added to the sides and bulletproof glass and run flat tires will be added later.

The Suburban, which is for a client in Los Angeles that shuttles celebrities to events, will take three weeks to build and cost more than $85,000 (U.S.), at least $50,000 more than a standard van.

Adding options, of course, can add substantially to the cost, with everything from gun ports for $500 each to a bigger engine and suspension.

...Mercedes Benz sedans, which seem to be a favourite with clients ranging from Fortune 500 CEOs to foreign dictators, offer a bullet-proof version... In 2004, Ford Motor Co. introduced a armoured version of its Lincoln Town Car... "Obviously a lot of politicians and dignitaries use the Town Car, so that's why it was offered on the market," said Christine Hollander, national product manager for Ford Canada.

Botnst · #2 08-26-2006, 06:35 PM

I want one, too!

I'd drive the streets stalking Priuses...Priui...Prii....

...stalking Smartcars!

initialcapri · #3 08-26-2006, 06:43 PM

Hmm turbo diesel and uni-mog axle's thats what I want can I get one with those?

TheDon · #4 08-26-2006, 06:51 PM

californians have to have the biggest and best.. but arent they the ones that want more fuel efficient cars and such.. friggn hypocrites

Jorn · #5 08-26-2006, 06:56 PM

Now were talking, that will scare the ***** out of those soccer-moms in there H3

A friend of Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered one: Danny deVito?

Jorn · #6 08-26-2006, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheDon

californians have to have the biggest and best.. but arent they the ones that want more fuel efficient cars and such.. friggn hypocrites

So all Californians think alike

#7 08-26-2006, 06:59 PM

At least it's not powered by some dinky 5-cylinder gasser.

TheDon · #8 08-26-2006, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ForcedInduction

At least it's not powered by some dinky 5-cylinder gasser.

which vehichle are you talking about?

#9 08-26-2006, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheDon

which vehichle are you talking about?

H3

TheDon · #10 08-26-2006, 08:21 PM

it has a 5 cylinder... wtf

#11 08-26-2006, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheDon

it has a 5 cylinder... wtf

From http://www.gmhummer.com/hummerspecs/2006_h3/engine.htm

Engine & Drivetrain
Specifically designed as a truck engine, the Vortec 3500 is a 3.5L inline five-cylinder offering an excellent combination of power and efficiency. The engine delivers 220 horsepower at 5600 rpm and 225 lb.-ft. of torque at 2800 rpm. In terms of performance, the Vortec 3500 provides the H3 with excellent power and control for off-roading, with comfortable and capable on-road characteristics, including acceleration that equals the V-8 powered H2 in most driving conditions. The Vortec 3500 brings premium features and advanced technologies –- including dual overhead cams, variable valve timing, electronic throttle control and low mass. The engine also features unique counter-rotating balance shafts to help minimize noise, vibration and harshness.

TheDon · #12 08-26-2006, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ForcedInduction

the Vortec 3500 provides the H3 with excellent power and control for off-roading, with comfortable and capable on-road characteristics.

parking on the grass at the mall doesnt count as off roading

Hatterasguy · #13 08-26-2006, 09:31 PM

I'd buy one, and I'd drive it .15 miles to pick up a gallon of milk just to piss the save the world people off!

What does it get 5 gallons to the mile? Oh yeah that would look real nice with an "F**** the hybrids" bumper sticker!

#14 08-26-2006, 09:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hatterasguy

I'd buy one, and I'd drive it .15 miles to pick up a gallon of milk just to piss the save the world people off!

What does it get 5 gallons to the mile? Oh yeah that would look real nice with an "F**** the hybrids" bumper sticker!

I'd rather do that in a Viper or Z06 Corvette.

TheDon · #15 08-26-2006, 09:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ForcedInduction

I'd rather do that in a Viper or Z06 Corvette.

pfft screw that.. veyron all the way.. gimme that fuel sucker.. not only does it take a special fuel but the rate it consumes at top speed(well the speed they can go before wussing out) i would need a tanker to follow me a feat in its self