SVI Engineering recieves their first Toyota Land Cruiser 300 for B6 protection trial

SVI Engineering, specialist manufacturer of armoured products took delivery of one of the first Land Cruiser 300s to enter the South African market.

According to Quickpic, CEO of SVI, Jaco de Kock says it was important for the manufacturer to purchase a Land Cruiser 300 before its debut on local shores to give his engineering team enough time to develop the B6 (assault rifle) armouring kit.

The Land Cruiser 200 was one of SVI’s most popular armoured vehicle and the 300 will definitely take its place. The 300 is lighter, delivering 305 kW with 650 Nm of torque. The Land Cruiser is better suited for armouring needs in both petrol and diesel models.

SVI will have to strip the entire cabin down to its bare metal to measure the available space for armouring. This is done by a 3-axis, measuring arm and a 3D scanning tool that creates a computer-aided design (CAD) model of the vehicle.

Toyota has used a great amount of aluminium in the 300 to save mass. SVI’s ultra-light, high-performance, composite materials will be utilised to limit the mass in critical areas while stopping the rounds fired from AK47, R5 and R1 assault rifles.

SVI has predicted that the development process will take two months to complete. The end result will be an armoured vehicle that provides maximum ballistic protection to occupants.

B6 is the highest level of civilian protection allowed without a special permit. This comprehensive protection comprises 38mm armoured glass and special armoured steel plates. The suspension will be upgraded accordingly.

Pricing

The final cost of the armouring package still needs to be determined at the end of the development process but SVI expects a price of around R 900,000 excluding VAT for the 360-degree B6 armouring solution for the Land Cruiser 300.

SVI is taking customer orders for converting the 300 which is expected to make its debut at the end of the year.

Picture: Quickpic