Locally armoured Jaguar I-Pace becomes a world first

A local company has become the first to armour a Jaguar I-Pace in the world, while the model also serves as the first bulletproof electric model to prowl South Africa’s roads in stealth.

Armormax, renowned for building luxury armoured vehicles, recently handed over an armoured version of the all-electric Jaguar I-Pace to its owner. This is the first Jaguar I-Pace to be armoured globally, as well as the first all-electric luxury passenger vehicle to be armoured in South Africa. Since Armormax is an approved armoured for Jaguar Land Rover South Africa, the additions to the vehicle do not interfere with or void the standard warranty and maintenance plan and with only 200 kg added to the overall body weight which would now put it around 2,4 tons, there is no discernible decrease in performance either.

Managing Director of Armormax, Grant Anderson says “This project presented a great opportunity to challenge ourselves and expand our capabilities. We immediately involved the technical team at Jaguar Land Rover South Africa to assist and they were fantastic in helping us understand the intricacies of this electric vehicle. We are proud to say we built this car to our high standard despite the challenges and left the base vehicle very much unchanged”.

The armouring package includes the use of the highest-grade ballistic glass for all the windows, as well as patented lightweight synthetic armour in all the doors and panels to provide all-around protection. The protection grade on the I-Pace is to level B4, which can withstand attacks from handguns up to a .44 calibre. Added to this, the tyres have been upgraded to a run-flat system and there is a PTT intercom system fitted to communicate with people outside of the car. Both front windows are fully operable. At first glance, the Jaguar badged model seems as though it had just rolled off of the production line in Graz courtesy of custom-made components that do not alter the exterior in any way.