Armored Car Sidenote

Armored cars have become all the rage in Caracas these days, apparently since there’s a good chance you could get shot doing your daily shopping. Or weekly, if you’re the planning type.

According to Reuters, armoring your little putput will run at between 12,000 and 25,000 USDs, and that’s not reckoning in the bells and whistles you can get, like satellite tracking, intercoms and whatnot else the armor connoisseur has a fancy for. Driving around in 5-ton sedans seems like a dream come true, don’t it? Anyway.

The US embassy in the city has instructed its employees to ride in armored vehicles whenever possible due to the risks, and that’s a bit unusual, speaking something of the reality of the projected situation. For those not in the know, SOP in embassies is that anyone working there who’s not one of the top officials gets their personal vehicles shipped to the mission, and they are compensated fir the use of them. That’s not flying in Caracas anymore though.
Unless it’s armored, of course…

We’ve got a few write-ups on armored vehicles – check out the pages list on the right. FYI, the Suburbans have long been the US embassy standard monster.