Check out this unique, lightly armored Ferrari 458 Speciale

AddArmor – an armored car maker based in Jackson, Wyoming – has quite an extensive portfolio already (watch the video for an example). However, its latest project is hands down one of the most unusual.

The company took a Ferrari 458 Speciale and padded it with B4-grade armor plating rated to withstand .44 Magnum and 9mm gunfire. The engineer team believes this should be enough to protect the driver from street shootings, stray bullets fired by the police, and armed car hijack attempts.

The basic Anti-Intrusion Protection Package includes multi-layered window elements composed of acrylic, polycarbonate and lead layers 20 millimeters / 0.4” thick (thicker armor available upon request). Multiplex ballistic panels composed of synthetic materials protect the doors. The manufacturer claims they are 10 times as strong as steel armor while weighing 60% less.

To partly compensate for the armor weight (around 70 kg / 154 lbs), the tuner swaps the stock exhaust system for a lightweight Capristo unit and replaces some of the bodywork with carbon fiber. As a result, the added weight amounts to just 30 kilograms (66 lbs). Furthermore, the stock 4.5-liter V8 gains another 40 hp and now churns out 636 hp (645 PS / 474 kW) and 540 Nm (400 lb-ft) of torque. This enables the 458 Speciale to hit 100 km/h (62 mph) in three seconds flat and max out at 325 km/h (202 mph), just like before the armoring.

Aside from the AddArmor badge, nothing outside or inside the car indicates that it is protected against gunfire.

The basic Anti-Intrusion Protection Package costs U.S. $28,000. The show car with the armor already applied costs $625,000.

AddArmor says its main goal was to demonstrate that ballistic protection does not always have to weigh much; the lighter your ride, the easier it should be to escape the hot spot before things get serious.