{{Unreferenced|date=November 2007}}
[[Image:Rolls-Royce Armoured Car 1920.jpg|thumb|right|A Rolls Royce armoured car 1920 pattern]]

[[Image:DanishResistanceAC2795.jpg|thumb|right|Railway shop workers built this vehicle for use by the [[Danish resistance movement]] near the end of [[World War II]].]]

{{For|tracked, armored military vehicles|Armored fighting vehicle}}

An '''armored''' (or '''armoured''') '''car''' (see [[spelling differences#-our / -or]]) is one of several types of wheeled armored vehicles: a military wheeled armored vehicle, a civilian bullet-proof passenger car, or a special-purpose armored cargo vehicle for transporting valuable contents.

==History==

{{sect-stub}}
==Military armored cars==
[[Image:French VBL DSC00823.jpg|thumb|A modern [[France|French]] [[VBL]] reconnaissance vehicle.]]
{{See also|List of military armored cars}}

A military armored car is a type of [[armoured fighting vehicle]] having [[wheel]]s (from four to ten large off-road wheels) instead of [[Caterpillar track|tracks]], and usually light [[vehicle armour|armor]]. Armored cars are typically less expensive and have superior speed and range compared to tracked military vehicles. Most are not intended for heavy fighting; their normal use is for [[reconnaissance]], command, control, and communications, or for use against lightly armed insurgents or rioters. Only some are intended to enter close combat, often accompanying convoys to protect soft-skinned vehicles. They usually mount a [[machine gun]], [[autocannon]], or small tank gun. Other uses include as a way to move (or tow) various long-range rocket, missile, or mortar batteries through dangerous areas while giving some protection to the crew.

Armored cars are popular for peacekeeping or internal security duties. Their appearance is less confrontational and threatening than tanks, and their size and manoeuvrability is more compatible with tight urban spaces designed for wheeled vehicles. They can also be much more easily air-deployed in [[cargo planes]].

===Modified===
At the beginning of the twentieth century a number of military armored vehicles were manufactured by adding armor and weapons to existing vehicles. Most of the early designs were a large car chassis to which a body made of steel plates had been added such as the [[Rolls-Royce Armoured Car]]

Alternatively, civilian vehicles may be modified into improvised armored cars in ad-hoc fashion. Many militias and irregular forces adapt civilian vehicles into AFVs (Armoured Fighting Vehicles) and troop carriers, and in some regional conflicts these [[technical (fighting vehicle)|"technicals"]] are the only combat vehicles present. On occasion, even the soldiers of national militaries are forced to [[Gun truck|adapt their civilian-type vehicles]] for combat use, often using [[Hillbilly armor|improvised armor]] and scrounged weapons.

[[Armet Armoured Vehicles Incorporated]] manufactures the custom built [[Armet Armoured Vehicles Gurkha]].

===Purpose-built===
Many modern forces now have their dedicated armored car designs, to exploit the advantages noted above. Examples would be the [[M1117 Armored Security Vehicle]] of the [[United States of America|USA]] or [[Alvis Saladin]] of the post-World War II era in the [[United Kingdom]].

==Civilian armored cars==
===VIP transport===
[[Image:Mercedes s klasse 1 sst2.jpg|left|thumb|Armored [[Mercedes-Benz W220]] of the type used by the [[President of Germany]].]]

Civilian armored cars are either (in only a few cases) factory produced, such as the [[BMW 7 Series High Security]], the [[Mercedes-Benz S-Class| Mercedes-Benz S-Class Guard]] and the armored Audi A6 and A8 cars, or (in the majority of cases) retrofitted versions of series cars. A security vehicle is made by replacing the windows with [[bulletproof glass]] and inserting layers of armor under the outer skin of the car, a labour-intensive process that takes a few weeks and costs about $100,000 in the U.S. The makers usually leave the external appearance of the car unchanged, in order to not look conspicuous. In most cases materials like [[Aramid|Aramid (e.g. Twaron)]], [[Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene| HMPE (e.g. Dyneema)]], [[composite material|composites]] or ballistic [[steel]] plates are used, and the increased mass is offset by an enhanced engine and brakes. [[Composite armor]] combinations may reduce weight, but tend to increase the cost even further.

Besides the armor itself, many other protective modifications are available: automatic [[fire extinguisher]]s, [[run-flat tire]]s, an explosion-resistant fuel tank, remote starting of the car, pressure and temperature control of the tires, a siren or alarm, and an intercom between the exterior and interior of the car. Sometimes the inside can be sealed or overpressured, using its own air supply, to protect against gas attacks. Civilian armored cars may have obvious armor protection, or they may be totally indistinguishable from an unarmored model. There are also armored variants of smaller cars, such as the [[VW Golf]], to further conceal their function and capabilities.

Armored cars are in common use by people who feel at risk and can afford them, for example politicians, entrepreneurs, ambassadors, or in higher-risk areas including [[Iraq]], [[Moscow]], [[Washington D.C.]] or [[Mexico City]]. Diplomatic missions and [[Private military company|private military contractors]] typically use armored cars as standard vehicles. As a side benefit, armored cars are typically very safe for their occupants in a [[car accident]].

===Valuables transport===

The other type of civilian armored car is an armored [[van]] or [[truck]], used in [[transport]]ing valuables, such as large quantities of money (especially for banks or retail companies). They are equipped to resist attempts at [[robbery]] or hijacking. They may be manned with armed guards but do not usually mount weapons (such equipment would be illegal for private forces in most developed countries). Such armored cars are usually operated by [[security]] firms.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:MPW Kubus 1.JPG| [[Kubuś]], a [[Poland|Polish]] WWII armored vehicle made by the [[Home Army]]
Image:Nash_Bearcat.JPG|Armored Rescue Vehicle [[Metropolitan Nashville Police]] SWAT
Image:Armored-car-Manila.jpg|Armored van in Manila
Image:Armored-truck.jpg|Armored truck in Barcelona
Image:Dzik2 P1010026 2.jpg|[[Polish Army|Polish]] [[Dzik|Dzik-2]] in the colours of the Polish Military Police.
combat during the [[Invasion of Poland (1939)|Polish-German War]] of [[1939]].
Image:MDA Armoured Ambulance.jpg|[[Magen David Adom|Israeli EMS]] armoured MICU ambulance for when EMS crews may be shot at.
Image:Tornado intercept vehicle.jpg|An armored [[Ford]] [[Ford F-Series|F-450]] called a [[Tornado Intercept Vehicle|TIV]] that is used to intercept [[tornado]]es.
</gallery>

== See also ==
* Armouring:
**[[Aramid]]
**[[Bulletproof glass]]
**[[Twaron]]
**[[Vehicle armour]]
* [[Gun truck]]
* [[Tankette]]

[[Category:Armoured cars|*]]
[[Category:Armoured fighting vehicles by type]]

[[de:Sonderschutzfahrzeug]]
[[fr:Automitrailleuse]]
[[it:Autoblindo]]
[[nl:Pantserwagen]]
[[ja:装甲車]]
[[pl:Samochód pancerny]]
[[pt:Auto-metralhadora]]
[[ru:Бронеавтомобиль]]
[[fi:Panssariauto]]
[[sv:Pansarbil]]
[[zh:装甲车]]