ARMORMAX DEFENDER ROADSHOW A SMASHING SUCCESS

JLR Approved luxury vehicle armourer Armormax set out on a quest early in May this year with their freshly armoured Land Rover Defender D240. The purpose of the roadshow being to educate JLR dealer staff on their product and demonstrate it to them in the flesh. While the requirement for a luxury armoured vehicle may only appear to be evident in higher crime rate areas such as Gauteng and KZN, the company discovered that there is a demand for their product in every corner of South Africa. As expected though, awareness of the Armormax solution and its high-quality standards was significantly lower than desired in many parts of the country, which has now been remedied. Dealer staff were given a brief introduction to vehicle armouring before experiencing the difference between standard automotive glass fitted with smash and grab film versus a 21mm thick piece of ballistic glass as fitted to all Armormax B4 conversions. Participants were astounded at the strength of the ballistic materials as well as their incredibly low mass, as demonstrated on the Defender which is only 190 kg heavier than its standard counterpart.

NOT JUST A ONE-TRICK PONY

The roadshow had several motives though it must be said. One of those motives was to highlight and reiterate what a wonderful country we live in despite our challenges. The Armormax ethos is that if you can secure your home, your car and your lifestyle, you mitigate the risk that violent crime presents and can live a wonderful life in South Africa, potentially dissuading families to leave our shores for alleged greener pastures. Their social media activity during the roadshow suggests that there really is so much we have to be grateful for and be proud of as South Africans.

Just as important a motive for Armormax was the goal of demonstrating that living with a vehicle armoured by the firm is no different to an unarmoured version. It was crucial to prove that their Defender could do everything any other Defender could do with little to no compromise at all. The trip ran for just over 9500 kms over the best and worst roads the country has to offer, both on asphalt and off-road. A trip up Sani Pass, navigating the mountain passes of the Western Cape, traversing unmaintained and unmapped rural pathways and a gruelling test on the obstacle course and skidpan of the JLR Experience Centre were just some of the challenges thrown at the Defender over the 5-week period. Armormax are happy to report that the Defender performed flawlessly with not a single beat missed.

Sales and Marketing Manager Michael Broom says “On occasion I probably abused our Defender substantially more than anyone would care to treat their standard car, but the point we were trying to prove is a pivotal one. We don’t want our customers to be glaringly aware that their vehicle is different until the situation arises where the armour is needed. It needs to be a seamless integration into your normal life, and when we talk about living unrestricted, we mean that in every sense of the word. I am so proud of our Defender and the workmanship our team delivered. I have no doubt we are going to be building many of them for our clients, it’s a mightily impressive car even before we lay our hands on it”.

YOURS TO EXPERIENCE

Armormax have made their B4 armoured Defender available to experience at the JLR Experience Centre in Johannesburg. The Centre offers the public a Defender Taster Drive Experience which is a 90-minute experience for two drivers at the wheel of the all-new Defender. Customers now have the option of experiencing this in an armoured Defender, which includes a visit to the Armormax facility not far away. Bookings for this experience can be made via https://www.landrover.co.za/experience/lr-experience-drives/off-road-experience.html

Once your booking is confirmed, contact the experience centre notifying them that you would like to request the armoured vehicle experience.

Armormax are also making their Defender available for media road tests. Requests can be submitted directly to michael@armormax.co.za