Welcome to Worry Town.
Amid spiking crime and violent carjackings involving luxury vehicles in NYC — like closing generation’s “great first date” became motion film, whole with weapons shoved within the face of a $150,000 BMW-driving Romeo — well-heeled Gothamites anxious about attending to the Hamptons this summer season are clamoring for their very own unique, store “supercars.”
A few of the maximum sought-after armored car providers is a former Austrian commando who is helping give billionaires peace of mind via fortifying their houses, helicopters, superyachts and Territory Rovers — to the track of hundreds of thousands of greenbacks.
“People need to understand one simple fact: they need protection,” Matthias Fitzthum, CEO of Bespoke Home & Yacht Security, advised The Put up of the souped-up safety features he says any “ultra-high net worth” nation could be unstable to not apply. “An alarm system isn’t protection — they need hardware to protect their family and themselves.”
“Families and executives are worried about ambushes or random acts of street violence while driving,” reads the corporate’s web page, detailing cinematic situations normally reserved for James Bond films now not a deliberate force to at least one’s summer season compound.
“Armored cars have to withstand a pipe bomb exploding from point-blank range and weather rounds of bullets shot by AK-47s, AR-15s and 9mm pistols,” consistent with the web page, which notes “security remains a precondition to freedom.”
Options come with bulletproof glass as much as 3 inches thick that may oppose 9 mm handgun bullets or Kalashnikov sniper projectiles, ballistic metal and an oxygen overpressure machine — will have to a pesky gasoline or smoke assault happen.
When the wind force within the automotive is upper than outdoor, passengers can breathe natural oxygen within — disagree gasoline or smoke can get throughout the automotive’s air flow machine.
Microphones can venture outdoor the automobile to deal with criminals and passengers can select up pitch from someone bad. Home windows at the motive force’s facet handiest unhidden 10 centimeters large ever, large enough quantity to move a record. Rear home windows don’t unhidden in any respect.
Each side of the internal and external is meticulously super-enhanced to resist any foul play games from the roof to the run-flat tires.
Perfect of all? None of those warzone-ready upgrades are visual to the bare visible, consistent with Fitzthum, who blames as of late’s “absolutely insane” circumstance of crime for a ready checklist of purchasers extending throughout the heart of 2025.
And in true “Fight Club” type, the important rule of getting an armored automotive isn’t speaking about it — let abandoned Instagramming it.
“The main goal is that the armored car doesn’t look like an armored car,” stated Fitzthum, who doesn’t need the automobile to attract consideration or also have a unlit end, lest it seem by any means legit.
“The moment you leave the property, you’re taking full risk — it would be very dangerous not to be driven in an armored car,” he warned Fitzthum.
The 53-year-old father of 2 and army vet stated “several” happy purchasers have survived capturing assaults of their armored cars and delightfully “no one’s been injured and they’re happy.” Plus, his corporate screens residue high-risk purchasers via satellite tv for pc 24/7.
“They celebrate two birthdays every year — they know they would have died without my cars,” he added, noting in addition they promote armored automobiles just like the BMW 760i VR9, too.
Bespoke House Safety
Past putting in the fear-reducing options, Fitzthum individually trains each and every consumer who armors their automotive in tactical reaction — together with the nation important of personnel, attendant, mother or father and someone who drives their kids.
“The kids in a normal car are unprotected if the driver is not trained in combat,” he stated.
For services and products that get started at $250,000 and will break $1.5 million for armoring, it’s a “waste of money” if the customer freezes throughout crunch presen, he defined.
If purchasers are shot at, they should be “able to survive,” defined Fitzthum, who stated there’s disagree wish to vacate the automobile, even supposing below fireplace or if the tires are shot ill.
“If someone should shoot inside or at the tire, you can keep driving — 80 to 90 kilometers per hour — the goal is to get out of the line of fire. The main goal is that whatever goes wrong, nothing can happen to clients inside the car,” he stated.
“You can drive away and get to a safe spot,” stated Fitzthum, who disbursed sensible recommendation even for the have-nots: “You’re not John Wayne and you will never be.”
Within the match of centered assaults, carjacking or kidnappings — a significant worry of his purchasers — Fitzthum stated that riding, say, a regular Bugatti is near to taking your month on your arms.
“Sometimes it’s random and sometimes thieves are looking particularly for a special car,” Fitzthum stated. “You’re a moving target in a car.”
Nobody balks at his costs, Fitzthum stated of his purchasers. “These clients never talk about the price. At what level do you value a price for a human being, for your kids? It’s a very small price to pay to protect themselves and their families.”
