In a combined marketing ploy and to prove the capabilities of their Maybach “Guard” edition cars, Mercedes took their own gloves off and assaulted the vehicle with a rifle. At the end of the magazine, a $513,000 (yes, five hundred and thirteen thousand dollar) luxury vehicle was left riddled with bullet impacts.

With no penetration, presumably.

The “Guard” line of Maybach vehicles are custom configured with armor plating around the entire cabin of the vehicle (but they do leave the trunk and engine compartment relatively unprotected). According to JDNews, Mercedes states that Maybach Guard “is the first civilian vehicle to be certified with VR-10 ballistic protection.” (“VR” refers to an armor rating standard set in Germany.) One can learn more at VPAM’s website, which is only available in German.

The VR-10 rating is impressive, as it denotes a certification for the first time a civilian oriented vehicle has been rated to take hardened steel-core bullets (armor penetrating rounds). Typically, vehicles are manufactured to VR-9 (for .308 and below, non armor penetrating).

Putting on all this armor makes a vehicle heavy, which requires special drive-lines and suspension to handle the mass. For those interested, and with the means to purchase them, the Guard line is available across most of Mercedes’ line including the S-Class, GLE-Class, and G-Class vehicles.