Meet the Golf GTI built tough enough to weather AK47 bullets

There is simply no getting around the fact that armed crime is completely out of control in South Africa.

The difference between life and death for so many victims come down to how quickly the first responders can reach them. But who thinks of their safety when they roll up on an active crime scene and come under fire from criminals?

Then the difference between life and death is the armouring, or lack of it in too many instances, that stands between them and a hail of bullets.

Bullet-resistant Golf GTI

SVI Engineering, a local specialist manufacturer of armoured products, believes it have developed the perfect solution. The SVI AK47 Volkswagen Golf 8 GTI is a bullet-resistant rapid-response vehicle that not only offers protection against handguns, but more importantly, rifles up to 7.62 x 39mm. This includes a favourite weapon among criminals, the AK47.

“Hot hatches are well suited to rapid-response duties but are generally available only with level B4 armour. This leaves occupants vulnerable to higher ballistic threats,” says Nicol Louw, SVI Business Development Director.

“The SVI AK47 Golf GTI is our solution to that problem and may just be the fastest way to reach the scene of an in-progress crime, without compromising on ballistic protection.”

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Steel plating and ballistic glass

Drawing on their extensive experience developing vehicle armour for both the civilian market and the security industry, SVI’s team of engineers have crafted a bespoke package for the Golf GTI. The key objective being to offer protection against AK47 rounds.

This was achieved using 3.5mm armoured steel plating and revolutionary lightweight ballistic glass. The latter rated to stop four shots from an AK47 in a 300mm square.

While all other panes are fixed in place, the driver’s window can be lowered approximately halfway. To ensure the highest level of protection, SVI purposely excluded composites from the design. They rely on high-grade armoured steel in areas such as the doors, pillars and even the roof instead.

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Rear camera saves cost and weight

The kit furthermore incorporates a neat rear bulkhead solution – supplemented by a camera that continuously feeds video directly to the rear-view mirror – that saves on cost and weight and means the tailgate needn’t be armoured.

The critical powertrain components are protected by armour installed in the front fenders. The battery also receives bullet-resistant protection and the suspension springs are uprated to offset the extra 340kg that is added to the vehicle’s mass.

So, what does this mean when it comes to affecting the on-road performance of the 180kW/370Nm Golf GTI? To answer this question, The Citizen Motoring was given the armoured Golf GTI for a few days to play with. And to put it through its paces at the Gerotek Test Facilities.

This Golf GTI slower, but safer

From a drive and handling point of view, other than a ride that is a bit firmer than usual due to the uprated springs, you will be hard pressed to tell the difference between this car and a standard Golf GTI.
Push it hard and of course you can feel the weight in the sharpness of the steering. And in the sprint times.

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But as can be seen in the stat box, a second or more, here or there, for the level of armouring you have, still makes this Golf GTI way quicker than any bakkie. And safer than any other GTI that rolls up without the right protection.

SVI’s AK47 armouring package for the Golf 8 – either the GTI or R – is priced at R649 500. This excludes VAT and the cost of the base vehicle. The project build time comes in at approximately three months.

*For more information you can visit svi.co.za or contact Nicol Louw at nicol@svi.co.za or on 072 664 3539.