Advertisement
BBC TopGear
BBC TopGear
Subscribe to Top Gear newsletter
Sign up now for more news, reviews and exclusives from Top Gear.
Subscribe
News

This is an armoured Range Rover

The Sentinel is here to keep you safe and frighten your enemies

Published: 04 Mar 2019

You may be familiar with Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations team. Their day to day consists of making either frighteningly fast or ultra-luxurious Range Rovers, and their state-of-the-art technical centre in Warwickshire looks like Q’s workshop.

For those whose real life resembles a James Bond movie though there’s this – the armoured Range Rover Sentinel – and it’s even more insane than ever.

Advertisement - Page continues below

Whereas the previous version of this car used a 3.0-litre V6, this new Sentinel deploys a monster 5.0-litre supercharged V8 with 375bhp on tap.

Though Land Rover won’t specify a kerb weight, it does admit that nearly a tonne of armour plating and glass has been added to the car. And then there’s the chassis, suspension and brake upgrades that come with it.

When you consider that a standard V8 Autobiography sits at almost 2.5 tonnes, that’s some bulk that the Sentinel has to shift. A 0-60mph time of 9.8 seconds doesn’t seem too sluggish in the context does it?

So, we know what you’re here for, let’s get to the good stuff. This is a car for the world’s elite – the kind of people in positions where making enemies is inevitable. The armour then includes bulletproof glass, a dedicated protection cell, roof and under-floor blast protection that’ll stop an IED and even an emergency escape system in the boot.

Advertisement - Page continues below

Elsewhere there’s sirens and a public address system to deal with any riotous crowds that you may encounter as well as run-flat tyres that are good for more than 30 miles at 50mph even with a puncture.

Land Rover clearly thinks its clients for this car won’t be shopping around at Geneva, so it’ll make its debut at the Home Office Security and Policing show from 5-7 March.

Top Gear
Newsletter

Get all the latest news, reviews and exclusives, direct to your inbox.

More from Top Gear

Loading
See more on Land Rover

Subscribe to the Top Gear Newsletter

Get all the latest news, reviews and exclusives, direct to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, you agree to receive news, promotions and offers by email from Top Gear and BBC Studios. Your information will be used in accordance with our privacy policy.

BBC TopGear

Try BBC Top Gear Magazine

subscribe