A VW Polo engine – it is tough, but is it bulletproof?
A leading specialist manufacturer of armoured products stated that it does not believe in speculation, so it decided to put the bulletproofness of the Polo block to the test.
When it comes to gunfire, it’s sometimes said one of the only reliable areas of cover in a standard vehicle is directly behind the engine block. So is this an accurate claim? While it depends on exactly where the sample is hit, we decided to carry out our own test, securing a VW Polo engine block at the end of our underground shooting range, mounting an AK47 on our test rig, and pulling the trigger,” said Jaco de Kock, CEO of SVI Vehicle Armouring Solutions.
A Photron Fastcam SA4 high-speed camera, set at 30 000 frames per second, was selected. The camera was provided by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research.
The results show that the 7.62x39mm conventional steel-core round penetrated the outer casing of the four-cylinder engine block, but did not emerge from the other side.
You can watch the result here.
“While an engine block may well be capable of stopping an AK47 round, it provides only limited cover at best. In contrast, our 360-degree level B6 armouring packages have been meticulously engineered to minimise ballistic gaps, offering vehicle occupants the ultimate level of protection,” added Nicol Louw, SVI’s business development director.
Source: QuickPic
