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For a select clientele, it seems, even the large, heavy and opulent Toyota Land Cruiser is not quite large, heavy or opulent enough. For those individuals — presumably, Very Important Persons who reside in less-safe parts of the world — Belgian armored vehicle manufacturer Carat Duchatelet is ready and willing to custom-build them the Toyota Land Cruiser 200 VX limousine.
The 200 VX extends the Land Cruiser by about 20 inches. It can be fitted with B6 or B7 grade armor, enabling it to withstand attacks from high-powered and armor-piercing rifles. It also offers a parade roof for actual parade use — or perhaps some pleasant natural light as you travel around in your plush, mobile, and (probably slightly less) off-road-capable bunker.
Carat Duchatelet outfits this Land Cruiser with a specially engineered suspension and braking system to cope with the changed driving dynamics and weight. And if you’re worried about this custom Land Cruiser limousine rig breaking down, fret not. Carat Duchatelet maintains a team of “flying doctors” ready to fly worldwide to address any concerns within 48 hours.
Perhaps unsurprisingly for such a boutique product, the company doesn’t list pricing. That said, with a standard Land Cruiser costing nearly $90,000, we can presume a build cost well into the six figures. (Carat Duchatelet told a Belgian media outlet in 2019 that vehicles can cost anywhere from around $100,000 to $1.3 million, and exceptional builds can take six months to a year.)
If a Land Cruiser is not to your particular luxury taste, Carat Duchatelet will also armor up other models, including a Mercedes-Benz S-Class, a Mercedes-Maybach, a Bentley, a Rolls-Royce or a Range Rover. You can even score a classic Carat Duchatelet Mercedes from the late 1980s and early 1990s for practically nothing…though the maintenance costs of a Merc that’s been lugging around a suit of armor for 30 years probably won’t be cheap.
