Prime Ministerial Car (United Kingdom)
Encyclopedia
The Prime Ministerial Car refers to a number of British
manufactured vehicles used by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The vehicles currently used are armoured, custom built Jaguar XJ
Sentinel supercharged
5.0-litre V8
models. Prime Ministerial and ministerial limousines are operated and administered by the Government Car and Despatch Agency
, an executive agency
of the Department for Transport
, and stored and maintained at 10 Downing Street
. The cars are driven by specially trained UKSF
close protection drivers.
The current model fleet was first seen in use on 13 May 2010 when newly appointed Prime Minister David Cameron
arrived at 10 Downing Street
.
On 12 August 2011, one of the fleet was damaged when a driver dented the car on a high kerb in Salford, although the car was able to drive away.
, but the current Jaguar models are estimated to have cost up to £300,000. They feature a number of security features, including a 13 mm explosive resistant steel plate underneath the body, titanium
- and Kevlar
-lined cabins, armoured windows with bulletproof polycarbonate
toughened glass, run flat-tyres and 'gun ports' to enable bodyguards to return fire at any attackers. The cars are also equipped with an independent, self-contained oxygen
supply to protect the Prime Minister and other passengers against chemical or biological attack. The car also features state-of-the-art communication systems, televisions, as well as adjustable, heated and cooled rear seats, and a Bowers & Wilkins
1200-watt, 20-speaker Dolby 7.1 surround-sound system. The vehicle is B7 level armoured, and is understood to be capable of withstanding the blast of 15 kg equivalent TNT and sustained attack by a variety of other armour-piercing weapons.
The car has a 5.0-litre supercharged petrol engine producing 503 bhp, with a top speed of 121 mph and is capable of reaching 62 mph (100kmh) from stationary in 9.4 seconds, slower than the original given the substantially larger weight of the vehicle.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
manufactured vehicles used by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The vehicles currently used are armoured, custom built Jaguar XJ
Jaguar XJ (X351)
The Jaguar XJ is the latest Jaguar XJ luxury saloon from Jaguar Cars. Completely new styling combines with underpinnings based on the previous X350 version.-Launch:...
Sentinel supercharged
Supercharger
A supercharger is an air compressor used for forced induction of an internal combustion engine.The greater mass flow-rate provides more oxygen to support combustion than would be available in a naturally aspirated engine, which allows more fuel to be burned and more work to be done per cycle,...
5.0-litre V8
V8 engine
A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft....
models. Prime Ministerial and ministerial limousines are operated and administered by the Government Car and Despatch Agency
Government Car and Despatch Agency
The Government Car and Despatch Agency is an executive agency of the Department for Transport, responsible for providing logistics services to the United Kingdom government and wider public sector....
, an executive agency
Executive agency
An executive agency, also known as a next-step agency, is a part of a government department that is treated as managerially and budgetarily separate in order to carry out some part of the executive functions of the United Kingdom government, Scottish Government, Welsh Assembly or Northern Ireland...
of the Department for Transport
Department for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
, and stored and maintained at 10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street, colloquially known in the United Kingdom as "Number 10", is the headquarters of Her Majesty's Government and the official residence and office of the First Lord of the Treasury, who is now always the Prime Minister....
. The cars are driven by specially trained UKSF
United Kingdom Special Forces
The United Kingdom Special Forces is a UK Ministry of Defence Directorate which also has the capability to provide a Joint Special Operations Task Force Headquarters...
close protection drivers.
The current model fleet was first seen in use on 13 May 2010 when newly appointed Prime Minister David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
arrived at 10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street, colloquially known in the United Kingdom as "Number 10", is the headquarters of Her Majesty's Government and the official residence and office of the First Lord of the Treasury, who is now always the Prime Minister....
.
On 12 August 2011, one of the fleet was damaged when a driver dented the car on a high kerb in Salford, although the car was able to drive away.
General specifications
Many details are classifiedClassified information in the United Kingdom
Classified information in the United Kingdom, now called Protectively Marked Information, is a system used to protect information from intentional or inadvertent release to unauthorised readers. The system is organised by the Cabinet Office and is implemented throughout central and local government...
, but the current Jaguar models are estimated to have cost up to £300,000. They feature a number of security features, including a 13 mm explosive resistant steel plate underneath the body, titanium
Titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....
- and Kevlar
Kevlar
Kevlar is the registered trademark for a para-aramid synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed at DuPont in 1965, this high strength material was first commercially used in the early 1970s as a replacement for steel in racing tires...
-lined cabins, armoured windows with bulletproof polycarbonate
Polycarbonate
PolycarbonatePhysical PropertiesDensity 1.20–1.22 g/cm3Abbe number 34.0Refractive index 1.584–1.586FlammabilityV0-V2Limiting oxygen index25–27%Water absorption – Equilibrium0.16–0.35%Water absorption – over 24 hours0.1%...
toughened glass, run flat-tyres and 'gun ports' to enable bodyguards to return fire at any attackers. The cars are also equipped with an independent, self-contained oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
supply to protect the Prime Minister and other passengers against chemical or biological attack. The car also features state-of-the-art communication systems, televisions, as well as adjustable, heated and cooled rear seats, and a Bowers & Wilkins
Bowers & Wilkins
Bowers & Wilkins is a British loudspeaker company that produces mid-range through reference quality hi-fi and home theater speakers. The company name is often abbreviated to just B&W.Joe Atkins is current owner and chairman...
1200-watt, 20-speaker Dolby 7.1 surround-sound system. The vehicle is B7 level armoured, and is understood to be capable of withstanding the blast of 15 kg equivalent TNT and sustained attack by a variety of other armour-piercing weapons.
The car has a 5.0-litre supercharged petrol engine producing 503 bhp, with a top speed of 121 mph and is capable of reaching 62 mph (100kmh) from stationary in 9.4 seconds, slower than the original given the substantially larger weight of the vehicle.
See also
- Official state carOfficial state carAn official state car is a car used by a government to transport its head of state in an official capacity, which may also be used occasionally to transport other members of the government or visiting dignitaries from other countries. On a state visit, the official state car might be transported...
- Bentley State LimousineBentley State LimousineThe Bentley State Limousine is an official state car created by Bentley for Queen Elizabeth II on the occasion of her Golden Jubilee in 2002.The vehicle's twin-turbocharged, 6.75-litre V8 engine has been modified from Bentley's Arnage R version to produce and of torque. Its maximum speed is . The...
, the car used by Queen Elizabeth II - Government of the United KingdomGovernment of the United KingdomHer Majesty's Government is the central government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The Government is led by the Prime Minister, who selects all the remaining Ministers...
- Air transports of heads of state and government