What it's like to drive a bulletproof Armormax Toyota Prado
The company armours about seven cars a month for politicians, entrepreneurs and other wealthy clients seeking protection on crime-ravaged roads.
Large SUVs such as the Prado, Toyota Land Cruiser and Land Rover Defender are among the most popular vehicles that come into the company's Northriding workshop. Armormax also offers high-grade B6 protection designed to stop high-powered rifle bullets.
Armormax is an original equipment manufacturer partner to brands including BMW, Audi, Jaguar, Ford, Land Rover, Nissan and Mahindra. Toyota isn't among them, but marketing manager Michael Broom said warranty claims that do not arise as a result of armouring are covered by Toyota. He said Armormax has fitted packages to more than 1,700 vehicles and has not had a single penetration or injury to date.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
eNCA
9 hours ago
- eNCA
Toyota and Daimler to merge truck subsidiaries
TOKYO - Shares in Hino Motors, the truck-making unit of Japanese auto giant Toyota, plunged on Wednesday after it announced a merger with a subsidiary of Germany's Daimler Truck. The move is seen as an attempt to stay competitive at a time when global automakers are faced with US trade tariff uncertainty and new Chinese rivals. The companies had said Tuesday that the integration of Hino and Daimler's subsidiary Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus would "establish a new strong Japanese truck powerhouse". They said they aimed to complete the merger, on an equal footing under a listed holding company, by April 2026. Hino Motors shares were down more than 12 percent in morning trade on Wednesday. "Daimler Truck and Toyota will each aim to own 25 percent of the (listed) holding company of the integrated Mitsubishi Fuso and Hino," a joint statement said. "The companies aim to improve business efficiency in areas such as development, procurement and production," it said. "They expect to significantly enhance the competitiveness of Japanese commercial vehicle manufacturers and strengthen the foundation of the automotive industry in Japan and Asia." The new company will work to develop models using new fuels and technologies, from electric trucks and hydrogen-powered trucks to autonomous driving systems. Analysts say Japanese firms have lost ground in the EV market in recent years by focusing more on hybrid vehicles, industry analysts say.
IOL News
10 hours ago
- IOL News
Witbank drag racer Leon du Plooy sets bold new South African record
Leon du Plooy [centre in blue plants] is surrounded by his team at Tarlton Raceway in Krugersdorp. Leon du Plooy [centre in blue plants] is surrounded by his team at Tarlton Raceway in Krugersdorp. A little under three decades ago when a twenty-something Leon du Plooy hoped in a drag racing vehicle for the first time, he had no idea that he'd become a South African 'legend'. Du Plooy, who hails from the northern City of Witbank in Mpumalanga, became the first South African to cross the quarter mile trap in 7.5 seconds in a bakkie. His Nissan 1400 bakkie, which is the country's most beloved utility vehicle aside from the Toyota Hilux, is also the fastest 4 cylinder drag racing vehicle in the country. Du Plooy set a new record at Tarlton International Raceway on Saturday, May 31, in front of a sold-out crowd at the Mecca of South African drag racing. 7.57 seconds at 290km/h was his fastest time of the day. What's in it? Now, let's just state at the outset that this is not some Nissan 1400 that anyone can jump in and start driving. The engine is made of a range of custom parts, from the pistons, crank and rods. The base structure that Leon used is a Toyota twincam 16 valve engine, that comes out of a Corolla RSI. It's been fitted with custom, aftermarket parts from the United States, which is also where Du Plooy sourced the G-Force 2000 gearbox from. The G-Force 2000 gearbox is one of the most expensive parts within this machine.
The Citizen
12 hours ago
- The Citizen
All systems go: What to expect from 2025's 24 Hours of Le Mans
The world's oldest and prestigious endurance race promises to be another suspense-filled one come 16h00 on Saturday. The 93rd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans kicks-off this weekend with Ferrari defending back-to-back victories. Photo by Gregory Lenormand / DPPI via AFP. In one of its biggest highlights for years, the 93rd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans this weekend sees the return of not only Aston Martin to the premier Hypercar class, but and expanded field of LM GT3 cars in the category's second running since replacing LM GT last year. Packed grid The fourth round of this year's World Endurance Championship, which carries double points to the overall series, the event will once more be contested by entries competing in WEC, as well as the North American IMSA series, the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) and for the first time, the Asian Le Mans Series (ALMS). ALSO READ: Ferrari takes second straight win in dramatic 24 Hours of Le Mans Also competing for the first time is a single entry from the GT World Challenge and a further entrant without any affiliation to the mentioned series'. Hypercar In the Hypercar class, a field of 21 cars will be contesting, lad by reigning champions Ferrari with three 499Ps, Toyota with two GR010s, Porsche with four 963s and Cadillac with four Rs. Besides the two new factory supported Aston Martin Valkyries, Alpine returns with two new works A424's, as does BMW with the M Hybrid V8. Rounding the list of manufactures off, is Peugeot with the latest version of the 9X0. Missing is Lamborghini after the abrupt cancellation of the SC63 project after two rounds of the IMSA series. LMP2 In the second-tier LMP2 class, 17 entries will campaign the venerable Oreca 07 Gibson in its swansong before the arrival of a new class in 2026. LM GT3 The biggest entry at La Sarthe is, however, the 24-car LM GT3 class won last year by the Porsche supported Manthey Racing team. Out of the entries, Stuttgart will have three 911 GT3 R's competing against a pair of Aston Martin Vantages, three Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3 Rs, two Ford Mustang GT3s, a similar number of BMW M4 GT3s, and three Ferrari 296 GT3. Returning are the pair of Akkodis ASP Team Lexus RC F GT3s and the United Autosports pair of McLaren 720s GT3. For the first time since the infamous 1999 event, Mercedes-AMG makes a comeback, albeit with the private Iron Lynx team in three AMG GT3 Evos. Along with the SC63, no Lamborghinis will be competing in LM GT3. South African interest Set to start at 16h00, with tennis great Roger Federer being the official flag marshal entrusted with dropping the French tricolour, South African interest will be provided by brothers Kelvin and Sheldon van der Linde. While the younger Sheldon makes his second start in the Hypercar class sharing the #20 BMW, as last year, with Dutchman Robin Frijns and Germany's Rene Rast, Kelvin remains in the LM GT3 class, but now with BMW following Audi's withdrawal from GT racing at the end of last year. Contracted by Audi at the time, the older van der Linde swaps the Akkodis Lexus he raced at Le Mans last year for the official #46 WRT BMW M4 GT3 in which he will share driving duties with Oman's Ahmad Al Harthy and MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi. Where? As in previous years, the event will be streamed live on the World Endurance Championships' YouTube page, and shown in South Africa on a dedicated SuperSport channel from beginning to end at 16h00 on Sunday. In addition, Le Mans organisers, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest, have provided a detailed spotters guide of each entry which can be downloaded here. NOW READ: Ferrari returns to top spot at Le Mans after over five decades
