A US company has built a bulletproof Aston Martin Vantage

Well, why the heck not? If you’re going to bulletproof a car, might as well choose one from a brand famous for outfitting the world’s most conspicuous secret agent. AddArmor has revealed its latest creation: a fully armoured new Aston Martin Vantage.

The baby V8-engined Aston gets the company’s ‘B4’ level of protection that incorporates bulletproof glass, stronger doors, a blast-resistant hardened steel roof and a shield protecting the fuel tank.

There’s also an armoured firewall, and everything is made from the company’s ‘composite’ materials. You even get a set of run-flat tyres “to help make escape from any difficult situation much easier”.

Like, say, evading a henchman in a Jaguar C-X75 if, perchance, you happen to be 'on holiday’ in Rome. Or outmuscling baddies in Land Rover Defenders in rural Norway. Expect the unexpected, kids.

Other armoured flourishes include tamper-proof exhaust covers – so that “foreign objects cannot be inserted” – and “shock door handles” to prevent entry. The suspension has been beefed up to deal with the additional weight too. Indeed, the lightweight Kevlar armouring is said to add around 204kg to the Vantage (450lbs), and prices for the whole package start from $32,500.

“Incorporating our lightweight armouring on this Vantage was of the utmost importance to us because speed is an incredibly valuable asset in dangerous situations out on the open road,” explains AddArmor – and former US Special Ops veteran – Pete Blaber.