It’s the latest in a line of armoured Mercs that dates back to the bulletproof Nürburg 460 model of 1928. That was the first time a car company began factory-fitting saloons with protective features to shield the occupants from gunshots and explosives. Mercs have been saving the skin of heads of state and business leaders for 93 years. And with this new ultimate S-Class will go on doing so, the world alas being just as dangerous as it ever was. With this new S680 Guard model, though, protection levels go through the roof (to coin a phrase). 

It’s a tank of a thing, but the reason it doesn’t look like a tank – in most ways being indistinguishable from a regular S-Class – is a new way of building it. Instead of using a standard bodyshell and strengthening it as before, the new Guard model gets a specific bodyshell which has all protective elements already integrated. This vehicle “core” gets an outer skin of standard looking S-Class aluminium panels, ensuring its inconspicuous appearance.