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| The Town Car's traditional styling should appeal to a broad clientele. Lincoln also expects that the BPS will attract customers who might not have considered a Lincoln previously - read younger. The Town Car's current median buyer's age is 70. (Photo: Ford Motor) |
But protection comes with a thick price tag. The model is expected to hit but not damage the market at approximately US$140,000 (CAD$213,000). So as not to draw unnecessary attention, Lincoln assured potential buyers that its armored vehicle will not appear noticeably different than its regular Town Car.
The process of design and development on the BPS has taken Ford and its outsourced team about two years. Being that 70% of armored Town Cars are expected to be sold in the United States, initially 15 U.S. dealers and only a few non-U.S retailers will get the chance to distribute them.
The production of Lincoln's armored car will take place in various stages. First, it will be assembled at Ford's Wixom Assembly plant in Wixom, Mich. From there it will be shipped to the International Armoring Corp. in Ogden, Utah. Here the car will become equipped with protective materials, including bulletproof ceramics and glass, ballistic steel, interwoven aramid fiber, run flat tire inserts, a modified fuel tank and more. Only 300 will be produced annually.
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| Its limousine-like rear passenger room makes the Town Car perfect for its upscale clientele, CEOs and dignitaries who often will be chauffered. (Photo: Ford Motor) |
While Lincoln is using outside expertise to develop the BPS its in-house capabilities should make for an armored car of the highest quality. "About 300 OEM tests will be performed on Town Car BPS, including crash tests, which will make it one of the most thoroughly tested armored vehicles in the world," said Lauren Schafer, director, Lincoln Special Engineering Operations. "Additionally, we've conducted extensive ballistic testing at independent labs to validate the ballistic performance of our materials."
The automaker is confident its new BPS will bring a new group of customers that might have never considered buying a Lincoln product before. There is no word if the company will be offering a BPS version of its popular Navigator, but if Town Car sales are good the full-size SUV seems like the next logical choice to enhance the specialty line and appeal to even more prospective customers.