Fully Armored and Bullet-Resistant Tundra Now Available

Everyone knows the Toyota Tundra can stop heavy loads, but now an armoring company in Texas has figured out how to make the Tundra stop bullets. That’s right — Texas Armoring Corp. is converting a Toyota Tundra into a personal armored vehicle for a secret client. The Tundra, in addition to stopping armor-piercing rounds from an M16 or an AK47, has the ability to create its own smokescreen, to drop razor-sharp tacks on the road as it escapes danger, and to shock anyone that tries to enter the vehicle with electrified door-handles.

The Tundra being converted is a black 2007 DoubleCab Limited. When it’s complete, the Tundra will have 2″ thick armored glass and a secret combination of steel, nylon, and composite materials hidden in body panels surrounding the cab. The window glass, similar to glass used in the canopies of modern jet fighters, is designed to not only stop incoming bullets but actually reflect them away. The doors of the truck will feature a special woven composite fiber 2″ thick that is much lighter than steel but capable of stopping a round fired from a modern automatic weapon, even from point-blank range. The hood, fenders, fuel tank, radiator, and even battery will all receive armored protection to ensure that this Tundra can withstand several direct hits to critical systems and still be able to whisk the owner away to safety.

Who’s this truck for? That’s a secret. The San Antonio Express-News reports the person this truck is being built for is a Texas resident who frequently travels to Mexico. According to the newspaper, several powerful Mexican drug lords have marked this man and his family for death. Unfortunately, these drug lords have already managed to kill both of this man’s brothers. Obviously, in addition to being armored this Tundra needs this vehicle to be discreet. While we can only speculate, the Tundra Limited was probably chosen for its combination of power, size, and unassuming luxury.

When the Tundra is complete it will look just like any other Black DoubleCab Limited — except for a handful of details that only a keen observer would notice. The armoring in the doors is designed to be light-weight so that doors don’t sag when they are opened or closed, a sure tip-off that the vehicle may be armored. The suspension is upgraded so the vehicle maintains the factory empty ride height, disguising the extra 2,000 lbs of armor the truck will be hauling. The front windows, even though they’re thicker and heavier than normal glass, can be raised and lowered just like a normal Tundra. This combination of armored protection with a nondescript, casual appearance should serve the new owner well.

The Tundra’s smokescreen is produced by intentionally spraying anti-freeze onto the hot exhaust manifold, creating a thick whitish smoke. This is nearly identical to the method used by the US Army M1 Abrams tank to create smokescreens. The electrified door handles, designed to shock anyone who attempts to enter the vehicle while under attack, pass a high voltage charge that temporarily stuns the attacker. Finally, razor sharp tacks, carried behind the rear wheels, are designed to land with the “sharp side up” and can instantly flatten the tires of any pursuing vehicle. If the attackers try to flatten the tires on this Toyota Tundra they won’t be successful — the truck has special run-flat plastic rim inserts that support the truck even if the tires have been turned to shreds.

The entire package is reported to have cost $90,000 dollars. While it may seem like an extravagance to some, Texas Armoring Corp. reports that more than 80% of all attacks (assassination or terrorist) occur while the person being targeted is in their vehicle. The world understands that point too — Texas Armoring Corp has upgraded over 1,500 vehicles with protection and has shipped them to Europe, South America, the Middle East, and the U.S.

Here are some interesting facts and links:

A 7.62 x 51 NATO Armor Piercing (AP) round is used in the US M-60 machine gun as well as various rifles. It can reach a muzzle velocity of 2,756 feet/second, more than MACH 2. The Tundra, when complete, will be resistant to this round.

The San Antonio Express-News article features an interactive model of the armored Tundra — check it out.

The website for Texas Armoring Corp. has pictures of a Suburban that survived an IED blast in Iraq. These are incredible photos.

The total cost of the vehicle is estimated to be $125,000 when completed. That’s about $2,450 a month on a five year loan (plus taxes of course).

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