It is not, however, the company's first armored-car product. Mercedes has a long history of offering factory-built protection vehicles to the rest of the world. The main advantage of the S500 Guard over other modified armored cars is that the S500 Guard is purpose-built from the factory. Mercedes starts the armoring process when the car is still a freshly minted body shell. This allows Mercedes to more fully integrate the armored components into the car.
Specialized technicians are responsible for installing all of the upgraded and armored components.
As such, Mercedes says the effectively hand-built S500 Guard takes five times longer to build than a regular S500. Aftermarket security companies often have to start with a regular production car, meaning they have to disassemble the vehicle completely, install the armored components and then put the car back together. Mercedes is quick to point out that the S500 Guard is not supposed to be a street-legal version of the M1 Abrams tank. Armor adds weight, and one of Mercedes' goals for the car is to maintain a high level of handling, acceleration, braking and stability. The purpose of the armoring is to survive an initial attack, thereby allowing the car to expedite its occupants safely from a hazardous situation.