Armoured car experts SVI Engineering have procured one of the first new Toyota Land Cruiser 300 models to arrive in SA. And as you're reading this, their development team is busy stripping it down to bare metal so that they can engineer a discreet, lightweight armouring kit that will provide full B6-level protection against assault rifles like the AK47.
The outgoing Land Cruiser 200 was one of the most popular armoured vehicle models for SVI and the 300 is destined to supersede it. According to Jaco de Kock, CEO of SVI, it was important to purchase an early example of the Land Cruiser 300 to give his team adequate time to develop the armouring kit before the bulk of the allocation arrives on local shores.
Toyota has used a high percentage of aluminium in the construction of the Land Cruiser 300, which includes the doors, to save on weight. As such, SVI’s lightweight composite materials will be utilised as much as possible to keep unwanted weight gain to a minimum. These will be complemented by 38mm armoured glass as well as steel plates in critical areas. In total, SVI predicts that the armouring kit will tip the scales at about 600kg, meaning the Land Cruiser's suspension will also be upgraded accordingly.
According to SVI, the development process will take about two months and pricing is expected to be around the R900,000 (excluding VAT) mark. The order book is now open and the first customer conversions are expected to go ahead at the end of 2021.
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