In a narrow sense, armored vehicles are meant for law enforcement, politicians, and military units. But that doesn’t mean civilians don’t get to use them for whatever purpose, provided they’re allowed to and have the financial means to get one.
There are several companies working in the field of civilian armored machines, including some established carmakers. Terradyne Armoured Vehicles is one of these entities, and the vehicles it has been making in Ontario ever since 2011 and slowly beginning to spread.
The company’s main product is the Ford Super Duty-based Gurkha, a monster on wheels that comes in four variations, depending on intended use: LAPV, MPV (multi-purpose vehicle), RPV (rapid patrol vehicle), and CIV, with the last one being the civilian version.
The one we have here is an LAPV, which stands for light armored patrol vehicle. It was primarily intended for use in the hands of law enforcement agencies. Yet, according to Collecting Cars, which has it listed for auction, this one was “specified as an SUV-style private security or civilian model.”
Powered by a 6.7-liter engine paired with an automatic transmission and rated at 330 bhp, the monster is fitted with B4 armor, which is supposed to offer protection against rounds coming from handguns up to .44 Magnum caliber. But alongside that, it packs a host of other elements that make it a real survival machine in several doomsday scenarios.
The buyer of the truck will get things like a full LED exterior lighting kit, steel guards over the lights, a six-ton jack, 40-gallon primary fuel tank and a secondary one that is double in size, and even military trim on all the glass.
To be able to handle rough terrain and sticky situations in case it needs to, the truck was treated to the usual Terradyne upgrades, which include Fox shocks, a front differential lock, and a Warn winch rated at 16,500 lb.
Riding on 20-inch wheels, the Gurkha shows a little over 25,000 km (15,500 miles) on the clock. There are three days left in the bidding process, and at the time of writing, the highest offer for it (after no less than 55 bids) is $150,000, which is less than half the price of a brand new one.
The company’s main product is the Ford Super Duty-based Gurkha, a monster on wheels that comes in four variations, depending on intended use: LAPV, MPV (multi-purpose vehicle), RPV (rapid patrol vehicle), and CIV, with the last one being the civilian version.
The one we have here is an LAPV, which stands for light armored patrol vehicle. It was primarily intended for use in the hands of law enforcement agencies. Yet, according to Collecting Cars, which has it listed for auction, this one was “specified as an SUV-style private security or civilian model.”
Powered by a 6.7-liter engine paired with an automatic transmission and rated at 330 bhp, the monster is fitted with B4 armor, which is supposed to offer protection against rounds coming from handguns up to .44 Magnum caliber. But alongside that, it packs a host of other elements that make it a real survival machine in several doomsday scenarios.
The buyer of the truck will get things like a full LED exterior lighting kit, steel guards over the lights, a six-ton jack, 40-gallon primary fuel tank and a secondary one that is double in size, and even military trim on all the glass.
To be able to handle rough terrain and sticky situations in case it needs to, the truck was treated to the usual Terradyne upgrades, which include Fox shocks, a front differential lock, and a Warn winch rated at 16,500 lb.
Riding on 20-inch wheels, the Gurkha shows a little over 25,000 km (15,500 miles) on the clock. There are three days left in the bidding process, and at the time of writing, the highest offer for it (after no less than 55 bids) is $150,000, which is less than half the price of a brand new one.