Who Needs An Armored Peugeot 205 GTI? The World’s 4th Richest Person, That’s Who

When your mind goes to armored vehicles, you tend to think of heavy luxury limos, SUVs, or perhaps even army vehicles. Certainly not a classic Peugeot 205 GTI 1.9.

This is the story of one really special car, built to carry its famous owner in anonymity and obviously extreme safety.

The Peugeot 205 GTI you see pictured was ordered new in 1990 by Bernard Arnault, president of LVMH (that’s LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE for you), the world’s largest luxury goods company.

Mr. Arnault wanted a car he could drive anonymously on a daily basis without a chauffeur, so he ordered specialist company Labbé to fit the small French hot hatch with proper Level 2 armoring.

The car was completely dismantled and was fitted with thick sheet metal panels and windows and had its suspension and brakes upgraded to cope with the extra weight, which by the way now is 1,400kg (3,086lbs) instead of the 875kg (1,929lbs) of a standard 205 GTI 1.9. The cabin was reupholstered with leather and received air-conditioning and power steering.

The build quality is described to be as ‘absolutely amazing’ and that very few would notice that this is no ordinary 205 GTI. Mr. Arnault used it as a daily driver for some years before it was put in storage in his personal collection.

This rather special car is now offered for sale from Art & Revs in Luxemburg, showing 14,700km (9,135 miles) on the odometer and representing a unique opportunity for someone to get his hands on one of the most unique Peugeot 205 GTIs out there.