Mercedes-Maybach S600 Pullman Guard – high-end special protection vehicle

Mercedes is no stranger to high-end luxury vehicles, nor to special protection armour-plated vehicles.  There are various models of Mercedes one can order from its specialist division, called Guard.

The Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman, as a factory stretched limousine based on the S600 a.k.a. “Grosser”, was a statesmen favourite back in the day.

Pullman Guard

Recent generations of S-Class were also available in stretched Pullman guise, and now that the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class represents the epitome of Mercedes luxury, it is the logical choice to offer this car as a Pullman.  

So you have the space, but what if you need your Merc limo to be bulletproof and resistant to armour-piercing?  For that there is now the Mercedes-Maybach S600 Pullman Guard.

Heads of state and other individuals at particular risk have a highly exclusive vehicle at their disposal.  The Mercedes-Maybach S 600 Pullman Guard provides complete protection of protection class VR9 (in transparent and non-transparent areas) and is certified for blast resistance in accordance with Directive ERV 2010.  Its protection concept is based on that of the Mercedes-Maybach S 600 Guard.

The Pullman Guard has been designed and developed together with the non-special-protection “regular” Pullman, and provides the same interior dimensions in this 6.5-metre-long saloon.

Integrated protection

Rather than taking an existing car and sending it to be armour protected, which involves welding in plates and replacing glass and strengthening suspension and more, the Mercedes Guard cars are factory-developed to be built with integrated protection.

The high level of comfort is preserved by sophisticated integration and intelligent overlapping of all protective elements.  Already at the body shell stage, protective components of special steel are integrated into the cavities between the body structure and the outer skin.  The interaction between all the components provides the occupants with a highly effective protected space, which not only includes ballistic protection, but also comprehensive protection against explosive devices.
The armouring in the rear underscores the special, private character of chauffeur-driven limousines: it is not the rear window that is armoured, but rather a steel bulkhead positioned behind the seats which secures area of the passengers.

All scopes of delivery specific to authorities are available to order for the Mercedes-Maybach S 600 Pullman Guard.  These include, for example:

●    sirens
●    flashing lamps
●    two-way radios
●    emergency starter battery
●    external communication system (loudspeaker/microphone)

The protection concept: integrated inconspicuous safety

Inconspicuous safety?  Sure, the Maybach Pullman is not an inconspicuous car, but in this sense means the car is not visibly different to other Maybach models on the road – this is an advantage, as some other protection vehicles clearly show differences like in their wheel designs (which are clearly not the same as the regular production model, so you end up drawing unwanted attention to yourself).

Therefore, from the outside, the special protection equipment is barely discernible, like on all S-Class Guard models.

Face-to-face seating

Maximum comfort is provided by the power-assisted opening and closing feature of the rear doors, which are heavy due to the armour-plating, so these are convenient to open and close.  The windows are hydraulically opened – the current Pullman builds a technical bridge here to what is perhaps the most famous Pullman in history: the car from the 100 model series dating back to 1965.

In the rear passenger area, a face-to-face seating arrangement is fitted.  This is important for the monarch/president/minister (or a similar important figure) to travel in comfort, where s/he can sit across their interpreter/advisor or the VIP guest.

An electrically-operated partition wall can be extended vertically, as befits any limousine, to allow privacy between the passenger area and the chauffeur.

The deep-tinted rear privacy glass can also be closed off completely by electrically-sliding rear curtains for the doors and rear window.

The price list of the Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman Guard in Germany is currently 1.4 million euro.