A common meaning of armored car (or armored cash transport car, security van) is as an armored van

Van

A van is a kind of vehicle used for transporting goods or groups of people.In British English usage, it can be either specially designed or based on a saloon or sedan car, the latter type often including derivatives with open backs...

 or truck

Truck

A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...

, used in transport

Transport

Transport or transportation is the movement of people, cattle, animals and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline, and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles, and operations...

ing valuables, such as large quantities of money (especially for banks or retail companies). The armored car is a multifunctional vehicle designed to protect and ensure the well being of the transported individuals and/or contents. The armored car is completely bullet proof and can withstand extreme degrees of heat. The car is mostly utilized by the military, but many companies such as; Mercedes

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...

, Lexus

Lexus

is the luxury vehicle division of Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corporation. First introduced in 1989 in the United States, Lexus is now sold globally and has become Japan's largest-selling make of premium cars. The Lexus marque is marketed in over 70 countries and territories worldwide, and has...

, Toyota, Cadillac

Cadillac

Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...

, and BMW

BMW

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...

, have created armored cars for civilian use, usually to protect valuables.

History

The idea of the armored vehicle dates back to Leonardo De Vinci’s sketches of an armored war vehicle in 1485. It consisted of a circular platform on four wheels with light cannons arranged facing out. Unfortunately this designed proved to be flawed. Among the first armored cars built was the Bellamore Armored Motor Bank Car of 1910, which was meant to function like the banking service armored cars of today, but also as a mobile bank branch. It wasn’t until Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce Limited

Rolls-Royce Limited was a renowned British car and, from 1914 on, aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce on 15 March 1906 as the result of a partnership formed in 1904....

 came out with the Rolls-Royce Ghost

Rolls-Royce Armoured Car

The Rolls-Royce armoured car was a British armoured car developed in 1914 and used in World War I and in the early part of World War II.-Production history:...

 in August 1914 that the first armored vehicle was introduced to the British military. The vehicle proved to be superior during the war, creating a demand for armored cars across the globe. In 1930 Mercedes Benz introduced the Nurburg 460, which was an armored car used to protect Pope Pius XI

Pope Pius XI

Pope Pius XI , born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was Pope from 6 February 1922, and sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929 until his death on 10 February 1939...

. The armored car was becoming more and more popular. Vehicle manufactures around the world started creating their own versions of the armored car.

Industrial Business Use

Financial Industry: The armored car is used to transport money from one destination to another safely. This benefits the bank because it gives the bank employees more time to work with the customers and provides a security net, to the owner knowing their money is in good hands.

Education Industry: Schools utilize the armored car for safely transporting money made by school fund raisers or cafeteria profits. Many universities have within their confines a university bank, and they may require the use of an armored car to handle large amounts of money.

Jewelry Industry: Many Jewelers such as; Jared, Kay, Rogers and Hollands, and Tiffiney co, all utilize armored cars to transport their valuable Jewelry safely to their stores. Jewelers work with precious metals and valuable gemstones, they need to make sure that their work can be safely carried to the person who has ordered it.

Armored Cars and Pop Culture

The Armored car has been utilized in many action films because of its worldwide recognition as a high security level vehicle. Some films include:

Armored (2009): Armored is an action movie starring Columbus Short

Columbus Short

Columbus Keith Short, Jr. is an American choreographer, actor, and singer. He choreographed Britney Spears's Onyx Hotel Tour and worked with Brian Friedman...

, Matt Dillon

Matt Dillon

Matthew Raymond "Matt" Dillon is an American actor and film director. He began acting in the late 1970s, gaining fame as a teenage idol during the 1980s.- Early life :...

, and Laurence Fishburne

Laurence Fishburne

Laurence John Fishburne III is an American film and stage actor, playwright, director, and producer. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Morpheus in the Matrix science fiction film trilogy, as Cowboy Curtis on the 1980's television show Pee-wee's Playhouse, and as singer-musician Ike Turner...

. In this particular film a handful of armored car guards decide to go rogue and rob one of their own armored vehicles carrying over 40 million dollars. The movie demonstrates how armored cars can still operate under extreme stress. The armored vehicle is shot at, bombarded by a series of explosives, and rammed by other vehicles. Even under these extreme conditions the guards inside of the armored car remained unscathed.

The Town (2010): The Town is an action packed thriller/drama starring Ben Affleck

Ben Affleck

Benjamin Géza Affleck-Boldt , better known as Ben Affleck, is an American actor, film director, writer, and producer. He became known with his performances in Kevin Smith's films such as Mallrats and Chasing Amy...

, Rebecca Hall

Rebecca Hall

Rebecca Maria Hall is an English actress.In 2003, Hall won the Ian Charleson Award for her debut stage performance in a production of Mrs. Warren's Profession...

, and Jon Hamm. This film is about a group of bank robbers from Charlestown Boston. The team of thieves is given a job by the head crime boss in town, to rob Fenway Park

Fenway Park

Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...

. Once inside the park the thieves disguised as police

Police

The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...

 officers fool the stadium guards and steal millions of dollars from the park. While trying to exit the stadium the thieves realize they are surrounded by the FBI with no way out. They make it down into the parking garage where the armored car is waiting to safely transport the money out of the stadium. The police

Police

The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...

 enter the stadium and engage in a fire fight with the thieves. The thieves knowing the armored car is bullet proof use it to their advantage to take cover from the flying bullets. One of the thieves then uses the armored car to ram through the stadium garage door creating a diversion for the rest of his fellow robbers to escape. The film depicted how armored cars are extremely bulletproof and can be used to smash through large barricades that may be in its way.

Vehicle Armoring Companies

Whether it be protecting high valued individuals or for personal use, many companies have corned the market on developing way to armor civilian vehicles. These companies include:

• Texas Armoring Corporation

• Troy Tactical Solutions

• Carat Security Group

• Alpine Armoring Inc.

• Car Armoring Service Int.

• Inkas Armored

INKAS

INKAS Group of Companies is a privately-held, Canadian company specializing in security and protection services headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Founded in 1995, INKAS acted initially as an armed messenger service...

• Scaletta Armoring

• United Shield International

Vehicles

An armored shell and cab are customized on a basic van or truck chassis. These vehicles are designed to resist attempts at robbery

Robbery

Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....

 or hijacking. Bullet-resistant glass and reinforced shell/cab are designed to handle bullets from most handguns and rifles.

They may or may not be manned by armed guards. Such armored cars are usually operated by security

Security

Security is the degree of protection against danger, damage, loss, and crime. Security as a form of protection are structures and processes that provide or improve security as a condition. The Institute for Security and Open Methodologies in the OSSTMM 3 defines security as "a form of protection...

 firms, and are therefore often referred to as security vans.

Guards

Most armored cars have 2 to 3 occupants:

• driver (may be the secondary guard)
• guard with cash or valuables
• guard protecting the first guard (may be the driver)

Depending on the jurisdiction, the guards are armed with weapons. Most carry small-caliber handguns or shotguns. In many jurisdictions these guards are required to have weapons training. Six Member States of European Union prohibit weapons during CIT

Cash-in-transit

Cash-in-transit or Cash/valuables-in-transit are terms used to refer to the physical transfer of banknotes, coins and items of value from one location to another....

 operations.

Guards wear ballistic vests and may or may not wear ballistic helmets.>

Firms

List of firms using armored cars:

• Brinks
• Garda
  Garda (security company)
  Garda World Security Corporation is a Canadian private security firm, based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, with 45,000 employees . Established in 1972, the company is the fifth largest consulting and security services firm in the world, with operations in North America, Europe and the Middle East...
  
  
• Securicor
  Securicor
  Securicor plc was one of the United Kingdom's largest security businesses. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but merged with Group 4 Falck in 2004.-History:...
  
  
• Wells Fargo
  Wells Fargo
  Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational diversified financial services company with operations around the world. Wells Fargo is the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by assets and the largest bank by market capitalization. Wells Fargo is the second largest bank in deposits, home...
  
   - sold to Loomis (now Loomis AB)
• G4S
• Prosegur

Alternatives

Intelligent Banknote Neutralisation Systems

Intelligent banknote neutralisation system

Intelligent Banknote Neutralisation System is a security system which protects valuables against unauthorised access to its contents by rendering it unusable by marking all the cash as stolen by a degradation agent when an attempted attack on the system is detected.Well neutralised banknotes...

are often used as an alternative to armored cars or as a complimentary protection for Cash-in-transit (for example, in semi-armored cars).