458 Speciale

Make
Ferrari
Segment
Coupe

AddArmor specializes in selling armored cars offering unrivaled protection from attacks. Traditionally, the company sells armored versions of luxury performance cars like the Audi RS7 and large SUVs such as the Cadillac Escalade. Last month, the company unveiled its new Mobile Saferoom Armoring package that lets you add armored protection to any vehicle.

In theory, this means you can use it to apply armor to sports cars and supercars if you really want to. To test this theory, the company has created a custom armored Ferrari 458 Speciale prototype. To show how far lightweight armor technology has come, AddArmor applied B4 Level armoring to the supercar's passenger compartment.

Adding armor to a high-performance supercar may sound sacrilegious, but AddArmor claims the Speciale's performance hasn't been compromised in the conversion, so you'll still be able to make a quick getaway from attackers. "When people think armored car, big heavy trucks with steel plating everywhere come to mind," said AddArmor President Jeff Engen.

"But armoring technology has moved far past those early conventions. No matter what vehicle AddArmor works on, power to weight ratio is always front of mind. Heavy vehicles tend to be slow, and a slow target is an easy target. In situations where clients need to be protected, speed is always an advantage. The AddArmor Speciale prototype showcases how armoring can be effectively applied to high-performance exotic marques."

AddArmor's ultra-lightweight armoring is ten times stronger than ballistic steel, 60 percent lighter than steel, and can withstand .44 Magnum rounds. The B4 armoring weighs 156 pounds in 458 Speciale spec, but to prevent this extra weight from slowing the car down, the supercar was customized with every factory carbon fiber option available for the engine compartment, exterior, and interior. A Capristo exhaust system was also fitted reducing the weight by 91 pounds when combined with the carbon fiber upgrades while also adding 40 hp and 65 lb-ft of torque. As a result, the armored Ferrari 458 Speciale only weighs 67 pounds more than a stock Speciale and retains the original car's performance, so it will still rocket from 0-62 mph in 2.8 seconds and max out at 202 mph.

In total, the armored prototype cost $625,000, existing Ferrari 458 Speciale owners can buy the armored upgrade for $28,000.