'Everyone Has Bulletproof Cars': Armored Vehicles Offer Status, Protection For CA's Elite

The term “defensive driving” has taken on a new meaning for some motorists who are choosing to invest in bulletproof vehicles, including in California, The New York Times recently reported.

Mark Burton, founder and CEO of Utah-based Armormax, told the Times that domestic sales make up 30 percent of the company’s overall business, up sixfold from five years ago.

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Armoring typically starts around $50,000, on top of the original cost of the vehicle, according to the newspaper, but for some, it’s worth it.

“If we make a wrong turn and we’re caught in some sort of protest, I feel safe,” Karyn Kobayashi, a former producer who lives north of San Diego and is a self-described prepper, told the Times.

Kobayashi drives a $350,000 Rezvani Tank that has, in addition to ballistic armoring, a ramming bumper, electrified door handles, gas masks, thermal night vision, and, at an extra cost, side windows that go down, the newspaper reported.

“I need to be able to hit the drive-through at In-N-Out Burger,” she told the Times.

Rezvani Motors is based in Irvine and produces 50 vehicles or fewer each year, half of which are armored, the newspaper reported.

Kobayashi told the Times that in her upscale neighborhood “everyone has bulletproof cars.”

Read more from the Times.