From 1992-1995, the countries of Serbia, Bosnia, and Croatia were engulfed in a brutal civil war.
Civilians were caught in the middle of the urban battles.
Hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed and millions were forced from their homes.
There were mass concentration camps and killing fields.
Even worse, many suffered from ethnic cleansing by opposing forces.
At the time, the United Nations provided humanitarian aid to the worn-torn countries.
But the U.N. trucks were often robbed or destroyed so the U.N. eventually stopped sending aid into hostile areas.
This meant that the humanitarian effort was left to individuals.
One person who wanted to help was Helge Meyer, who was a Danish soldier.
He approached the U.S. military and suggested that he deliver aid supplies on his own.
So, Helge bought a 1979 Chevy Camaro with a V-8 engine.
Then he convinced a U.S. commander in Germany to lend him mechanics to equip his car for the battlefield.
With the help of U.S. soldiers, the engine was upgraded so the car produced over 400 horsepower, and the outside of the car was painted with black stealth paint.
In addition, the mechanics added a battering ram, mine-clearing blade, run-flat tires, night vision, and armor-plated windows and doors.
The only thing the car didn’t have was weapons.
Once outfitted, the car could carry over 800 pounds of supplies.
The soldiers called the car “God’s Rambo.”
“I believe in God,” Helge said.
“Every time I go, I ask him to let me go down, give out my stuff and get back. I have one weapon with me, my Bible.”
Helge loaded clothes, medicine, food, and other supplies into his Camaro, then drove hundreds of miles to reach villages destroyed by war.
Helge was a hero who made over 70 trips into the worn-torn region.
Now, when it comes to bulletproofing a car you and I don’t have the help of the best of the U.S. military.
But if you are interested in adding bulletproof protection to your vehicle here are a few things to consider:
No flat rate:
If you were going to pay a company to bulletproof a vehicle there is no standard fee.
The cost will depend on the level of protection that you want, and there are a lot of variables that come into play.
For instance, armor-rated B4 is likely the lowest level of protection you would want.
This rating will stop almost all handgun rounds from .357 to 9mm, and 12-gauge shotgun shells.
To upgrade a standard sedan with B4 armor it will cost at least $40,000.
If you want a higher level of armor that will stop AK-47 rounds it’s closer to $100,000.
Tires:
There is no point in upgrading a car with armor if you don’t upgrade the tires as well.
We have all seen Hollywood movies where people try to shoot out tires.
While shooting out the tires on a car is not easy, you still need to protect them.
Run-flat tires will protect the car from steel spike strips as well as bullets, but run-flat tires don’t last forever when punctured.
So, if a bad guy shoots out your tires you won’t be able to travel a lot further, so be prepared to find a safe place to hole up in.
“Chinese menu”:
If you don’t want to spend the money to bulletproof an entire car you can pick and choose like ordering off a Chinese food menu.
For instance, companies can just add bulletproof windows or only add armor to one door.
If you did one door and window it might cost around $10,000, which is significantly less than an entire car.
Now, I obviously wouldn’t recommend this, because it leaves vulnerable areas exposed, but it’s an option.
Bars and grills:
Another part of the car you want to keep in mind is the front.
For instance, it’s worth adding a push bar to move objects that might block your path.
In addition, you want to add a ballistic grill to protect your engine, because if the radiator gets shot the car will quickly become useless.
Depending on the exact options you choose, these upgrades can cost around $3,000.
The truth is, you can make any vehicle bulletproof (like Helge did with an old Camaro), it just takes time and money.
The bigger the vehicle the more expensive it will be to armor.
So, another option is to purchase a vehicle that has already been bulletproofed.
Of course, this will be expensive as well, but it can be less of a headache.
If you want to buy a truck that typically costs around $50,000, an armored version of the same truck would probably cost around $110,000.
Again, adding bulletproof protection to any vehicle isn’t cheap.
It’s not something I would do unless I truly believed someone was trying to kill me.
