Rather bizarrely, Audi don’t actually have their Audi A8 L W12 Security on display at their Johannesburg International Motor Show stand, but if you ask them nicely they’ll take you to where it’s hidden away in a restricted access lounge at the rear of the Audi stand. Audi only want it to be viewed by potential buyers, and not by the criminal underground who want to know what they’re up against (although, how will they know the difference?) so just say you have a cool R 8 million lying around and you’re looking for the best.
The black Audi A8 W12 Security is a long-wheelbase version of the A8 limousine and meets the strictest guidelines for armoured civilian vehicles, with a host of special security features available in addition to its heavy armouring. This renders it a third of its weight heavier than a common or garden variety Audi A8 LWB by adding at least 780 kg to the Audi’s aluminium space frame.
Using the most advanced tough, resistant materials like hot-formed armoured steel, aramide fabric ceramics, special alloyed aluminium and multilayer windows made of special glass with a polycarbonate coating on the inside to prevent shattering; once you are on the inside of this car, you needn’t worry about hard-core ammunition or even a hand grenade attack penetrating the safety of the A8’s cabin.
Known succinctly as the Audi A8 W12 Security, it is powered by a massive 6.3-litre W12 direct-injection engine that develops 368 kW and 626 Nm of torque. The armoured A8’s weight might be high but this doesn’t stop the W12 engine from propelling it to 100 km/h in 7.3 seconds and onto a top speed of 210 km/h, and the fuel consumption is just 13.5 L/100 km, would you believe it. 450 hours go into producing the A8 with all its armour and the A8 Security is ‘VR 7’ ballistics compliant, as opposed to the ‘VR 4’ compliant M-Guard we saw from Mercedes-Benz earlier.
Audi say the price is only on request but we’ve heard the A8 W12 Security will set you back R 8 million, which makes it the most expensive car at the 2013 Johannesburg International Motor Show, by some considerable margin. Nevertheless, it’s money well spent if you think you need it.
