<figure id="attachment_205697" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1280px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-205697"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="6346873c"><img src="https://gsjebzejhjubm-res.cloudinary.com/image/private/s--19hJToSu--/t_article_image/v1631968250/takesi_ereaum.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-205697" class="wp-caption-text">Beat Takeshi was attacked while traveling in a vehicle. There is now a growing need for special security and bulletproof vehicles.</figcaption></figure>
 Beat Takeshi was attacked.
The sudden news shocked not only the entertainment industry, but society as a whole, but fortunately he was not injured and the perpetrator was arrested on the spot.
The fact that Takeshi was attacked was a surprise in itself, but many people may have been surprised to learn that the weapon used by the assailant was a pickaxe. The perpetrator is said to have slammed the pickaxe against the windshield of the car Takeshi was riding in, which must have terrified the driver and Takeshi.
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It was rumored that the reason why Takeshi and the driver were not seriously injured was because the car Takeshi was riding in was solidly built and bulletproof. Although this news may not have been the trigger, the demand for bulletproof cars is now on the rise.
According to announcer Shinichiro Azumi, who works with Takeshi on &#8220;New Information 7days Newscaster&#8221; (TBS), on his radio show, &#8220;The car that Takeshi drives is a bulletproof car.
 &#8220;The car Takeshi was driving was not the kind of car you usually see around town, but a VIP car like the one the president of a country would drive, so it didn&#8217;t seem to faze him&#8230;&#8221;
The car was a VIP car, not the kind you usually see in town. When I hear that the president of a country drives a &#8230;&#8230; car, what comes to mind is the presidential car of the United States. It is a limousine called &#8220;Cadillac One&#8221; or &#8220;The Beast&#8221; after Air Force One, the private plane.
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When the President of the United States came to Japan for the summit, it &#8220;came to Japan&#8221; with him and was driven on roads in Japan, so many people may have seen the real thing. It looks like a limousine that is a stretch of GM&#8217;s Cadillac, but inside it is something completely different.
The vehicle is over 5 meters in length, 1.8 meters in height, and has a gross vehicle weight of 8 tons. This is three times the weight of a large Japanese sedan, but the reason why it is so heavy is because the car is equipped with various devices to protect the people inside.
The body of the car is made of special steel such as titanium and ceramic, and the armor is five inches thick, which is the same as that of military vehicles such as tanks and armored vehicles. At this point, it is very different from production vehicles. The doors are said to be over 20 cm thick, and the window glass is over 12 cm thick. Handguns and rifle bullets could not punch through the doors and windows. On the contrary, even rockets and bombs could not penetrate them.
The car Takeshi was driving may not have been as bulletproof as the one he was driving, but it was equipped with some kind of security system.
An editor of a car magazine said that the demand for bulletproof cars is increasing all over the world.
 &#8220;Bulletproof cars have been made for a long time. Not only dignitaries, but also gangsters who were at risk of assassination or attack, modified commercial cars to make their own &#8220;beasts.
 Later, when demand was expected, companies specializing in making bulletproof vehicles based on commercial vehicles were established, but recently, major manufacturers are producing and selling their own genuine bulletproof vehicles.
One of the reasons behind this is that the international community as a whole has been experiencing instability, and the number of countries falling victim to terrorism has increased. Even if you are not a direct target, bombs may explode nearby, stray bullets may fly, and the risk of being caught up in terrorism has increased.
Mercedes-Benz has been manufacturing and selling bulletproof vehicles for more than 90 years, and since 1980, its flagship S-Class has also been available in bulletproof versions, which have been used by heads of state.
This month, the new model, the S680 GUARD 4MATIC, was introduced. The car has been inspected for weapons, ammunition, and safety technology by the German inspection agency and meets the highest standards of civilian protection class, and the body and windows can withstand automatic weapons fire.
The car is also equipped with an automatic fire extinguishing system and the interior is completely sealed to protect the occupants from smoke and poisonous gases. The interior is completely enclosed to protect the occupants from smoke and poisonous gases, and an emergency fresh air system is available to supply fresh air. The tires are of course run-flat tires. Even if you get a flat tire, you can still drive for 30 kilometers.
The price of the base model without any options is 457,100 Euros, which is about 60 million Japanese Yen. It is truly the most powerful Mercedes Benz. It is no wonder that the bulletproof version of Mercedes Benz is desired by the VIPs of many countries.
Last year, BMW, which has been selling bulletproof vehicles for 40 years, announced the VR6, a bulletproof SUV based on the X5. And Volvo, which doesn&#8217;t have much of an image of a VIP car, has the XC90 Armored, a bulletproof version of its flagship SUV, the XC90.
According to the editor of a car magazine mentioned above, the increasing demand for bulletproof cars is expected to lead to the sale of genuine bulletproof versions of mid-sized and small cars, not large ones. And as for Japan.
 &#8220;The Emperor&#8217;s car, called the Imperial Car, is currently based on the Toyota Century. It is not an &#8220;armored vehicle&#8221; like the Beast, but it is of course bulletproof. The Prime Minister&#8217;s car is also bulletproof.
 Although not yet available on the market, the bulletproof version of the Toyota Lexus, which was modified by a specialized company, is gaining popularity overseas. Even in Japan, some companies that make special vehicles such as cash trucks are making bulletproof cars based on commercial vehicles, and I heard that they receive orders for one or two a year.
The car Takeshi was driving on the day of the incident was a Rolls-Royce Phantom. The car he was driving on the day of the incident was a Rolls-Royce Phantom, which was originally designed for VIPs and royalty, and certainly had the image of a robust car that a &#8220;president of a country&#8221; would drive.
Takeshi is also known as a car enthusiast. One of the most memorable cars in his collection is the Porsche 959. This car, which went on sale in 1986, was probably the first supercar Takeshi ever owned.
Speaking of &#8217;86, the &#8220;Takeshi Incident&#8221; happened in December of that year. I had seen a silver 959 several times near the office he belonged to at the time.
The driver was Edamame Tsumami of the military group, but the rare car, one of 238 in the world and probably only one or two in Tokyo, stood out wherever he was. Later, it was sold and eventually owned by Bill Gates.
There is also a Ferrari with an emblem of a &#8220;rampaging horse&#8221; in a &#8220;comaneci&#8221; pose, and the term &#8220;Kitano Blue&#8221;. Although he owned supercars such as the blue Lamborghini Gallardo, which is Takeshi&#8217;s favorite color, and a 200 million yen Bugatti Veyron, he mostly drove a Rolls-Royce as his daily transportation and for work.
Unless you can get away at high speed, it would be impossible to prevent thugs with a parked supercar. I wonder if another fully armored bulletproof vehicle will be added to Takeshi&#8217;s collection in the future.

 Born in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, Hiroyuki Sasaki became a reporter for FRIDAY at the age of 31, reporting on a number of scoops during his time at FRIDAY, and has been active in weekly magazines ever since. He is currently appearing on TV and radio as a commentator.

 Hiroyuki Sasaki

 Beat Takeshi was attacked by someone with a pickaxe. It is rumored that the reason he was not seriously injured was because the car he was driving was solidly built. The demand for bulletproof cars is now increasing worldwide.

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