BMW 7-Series news - Take your best shot… - 2009

Your long wheelbase BMW 7-Series is all very nice, but when you're cruising through the streets of Stevenage, do you ever worry what will happen if a Taleban insurgent opens fire on your car with a rocket launcher? And are you always stuck for somewhere to mount your national flag?

You need the new High Security 7-Series, then. Just announced by BMW, the armoured Seven is equipped to withstand attacks from most common assault weapons. And Mr T with a baseball bat.

The High Security 7-Series features armour plating on the doors, roof, pillars and footwells, as well as 6cm-thick safety glass and a reinforced floor that can withstand blasts from land mines.

It's available in 750Li or 760Li specification, giving you the choice of a 544bhp, 6.0-litre V12 or a slightly more sensible 4.4-litre V8 with 407bhp. If your gun-toting enemies are fleet of foot, you'll be requiring the 760Li, which will haul the Seven's considerable bulk to 62mph in a hasty 6.2 seconds.

Inside the cabin, the armoured 7-Series gets a fire extinguishing system, the option of a centre console-mounted machine gun case and an internal air supply that kicks into action in the event of a gas attack. Insert post-curry joke here.

BMW is staying discreet on prices for the High Security 7-Series, but suffice to say it'll help if you've, say, recently seized control of a diamond-rich African nation. But how can you put a price on such a damn fine flag holder?