By Khulekani Dumisa

The 190kW V6 Amarok has become the latest bakkie to offer the highest level of civilian protection thanks to SVI Engineering, specialist manufacturer of armoured products. The other bakkie to offer this level of protection is of course the Ford Ranger.

SVI B6

According to SVI Engineering, their clients opted for the ultimate civilian level of armoured protection namely B6 that can stop bullets fired from assault rifles including AK47 although the SVI B4 (handgun protection level) armour is also available on the Amarok.

The conversion entails stripping the interior to the bare metal and meticulously building the vehicle up as an armoured unit. Special steel armoured plates and composite materials are used for the body and 38 mm thick armoured glass replaced the original glazing. The suspension is upgraded to cope with the 650 kg additional mass. Fortunately, there is no need to touch the V6-powertrain as it still offers plenty of punch even after armouring.

Timing

The process takes around 12 weeks to complete and the end result is a vehicle that appears completely standard from both the outside and inside.

Pricing

The B6 conversion pricing starts start at R655,000 ex VAT before options and the standard SVI warranty of 1-year/50,000km applies on the armouring for road use.

Visit www.svi.co.za for more information.