New BMW i7 & 7 Series Get Protective Armour and Bulletproof Glass

BMW has revealed the fully-armoured version of its latest flagship sedan, the G70-gen BMW i7 and 7 Series. Dubbed as the BMW i7 Protective and 7 Series Protective, these two armoured sedans feature stronger chassis build, explosive-proof bodywork and protective glasses.

The all-new BMW i7 Protection is the world's first fully-armoured production EV!

Mind you, this is not the first time BMW has bolstered its flagship limousine model with thick and heavy armour, with the first bomb-proof saloon model being the 1978 E23-gen BMW 7 Series Security Vehicle. That being said, this is however the first time that such an armour has been equipped on an electric car, which makes the BMW i7 as the world’s first full-armoured production EV model.

More details on this armouring, each model gains an armoured steel body, cordially named BMW Protection Core. This armour is installed on all the car’s four doors, underbody part, as well as the roof, with BMW claiming it can withstand against explosives, bullets, drone attacks, and even hand grenades.

Both the i7 and 7 Series Protection come equipped with VPAM 10-rated protective glass

As for the glasswork, BMW has installed the two armoured models with the VPAM 10-rated protective glass – the highest level of protection for civilian protection vehicles. All in all, this has resulted in both the i7 Protection and 7 Series Protection gaining the coveted VR9 ballistic safety rating and PAS 300 blast resistance level, which means that both cars can hold-off ballistic attacks from weapons travelling at speed up to 820 metres/second.

Both armoured cars ride on special 20-inch lightweight alloys shod in run-flat tyres

Aside from the glass and body armouring, the ICE-powered 7 Series Protection also comes with a special self-sealing fuel tank, which prevents the tank from leaking, thus allowing the car to move even when being attacked. Elsewhere, both cars also ride on special PAX 20-inch lightweight alloy wheels with a run-flat ring that enables it to be driven at up to 50 KM/H even when the tyres are deflated.

Granted, all of these body armouring and additional protective parts have significantly increased both car’s weight, which translated to the performance reduction. However, BMW has yet to reveal the exact kerb weight of both models, but judging by the total performance drop, it is safe to say that the bulk-up was quite significant.

For starters, the i7 Protection is powered by the same dual motor setup rated at 536 HP and 744 NM as its non-armoured twin. In the normal i7, this powertrain setup allows this full-sized sedan to propel from nought to 100 KM/H in 4.7 seconds. However, the armoured i7 almost doubled this century time to 9.0 seconds, while its top speed is capped to only 160 KM/H.

The ICE-powered 7 Series Protection, on the other hand, harnesses the same 522 HP and 750 NM-rated 4.4-litre V8 mild hybrid (MHEV) powertrain setup as the standard G70-gen 760i model. However, its century time has dropped from 4.2 seconds in the standard 760i to 6.6 seconds, while its V-max is capped at 209 KM/H – making the 7 Series Protection the faster model of the two armoured beast.

In spite of both models being based on the sportier M Sport variants, the i7 and 7 Series Protection feature very sleek design with a solid black exterior paint. Should you desire, there’s an option to add several blue police lights to both cars’ roof and several other exterior parts, while state leaders can pride up their national flags on both sides of the front fenders.

The new BMW i7 and 7 Series Protection are set to be manufactured at BMW’s Dingolfing facility in Germany. Both models will make its inaugural public appearance at the upcoming 2023 IAA Mobility show – also known as the Munich motor show – which is set to take place later in September.