- Drivers of BMW‘s armored vehicles will learn how to handle them as they are about a ton heavier than the standard versions.
- BMW offers two courses, with the second been the most advanced as it requires you to perform escape maneuvers while under fire.
- The cars used at the training school include the 7-Series and the i7 Protection, as well as the X5 Protection VR6.
So you’re a chauffeur whose client has a taste for BMWs, and is afraid that they might be attacked (let’s not ask too many questions about why). Your first call should be to the BMW Security Vehicle Training school.
Through this school, the automaker provides two courses on how to handle its armored vehicles, and how to drive like you’re Jason Statham in “The Transporter” (or pretty much any movie he’s ever been in).
Located on an abandoned airstrip near Berlin, the school will teach you to drive BMW 7-Series and i7 Protection (the world’s first certified special protection sedan with an all-electric drivetrain), as well as the BMW X5 Protection VR6. And those will be important lessons because they weigh about a ton more than their non-armored alternatives.
Read: Learn To Off-Road And Have Fun While Doing It At The Ford Ranger Raptor Assault School
The first course takes two days and teaches the basics of driving physics and technique, in addition to offering tactical knowledge to help you protect your passengers in extreme situations. And they mean extreme. As part of the course, you’ll learn to navigate a confusing forest road at night, and BMW will confront you with real explosions during the lesson.
The course also includes some less crazy stuff, like braking maneuvers, slalom courses, as well as the J-turn, the favorite maneuver of every car chase scene choreographer in Hollywood. It also teaches you to drive your vehicle at night with high beams, low beams, and even just parking lights, in case you need to escape discretely.
The second course builds on these skills, and seeks to deepen them. It takes place over the course of three days, and ups the ante by requiring you to perform escape maneuvers while under fire.
It also includes pyrotechnics, nighttime ambush scenarios, and BMW warns that the course will include vehicle contact that can lead to actual bodywork damage. On the less extreme side of things, you’ll also be allowed to do some laps of a track to learn how to really hustle a heavy armored vehicle. Off-road training will help drivers whose work takes them off the beaten path.
BMW’s Armored Models
The BMW 7-Series and i7 Protection offer an armor-plated steel protection cell and safety glass that provides protection against up to VPAM 10 ammunition. They come standard with the M Sport Package, which means a 523 hp (390 kW/530 PS) V8 engine for the 7-Series, and a 536 hp (400 kW/544 PS) electric powertrain for the i7. The X5 Protection VR6 benefits from the 523 hp (390 kW/530 PS) V8 engine, bullet resistance, and is indistinguishable from the standard model.
Prices for the courses are not available, but chances are your client will pay since it will directly benefit them.
