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Margaret Thatchers’ Private Armored Bus Is Up for Sale

The longest-serving British Prime Minister of the 20th century was not only one of the greatest leaders the UK had, but she was also renowned for her uncompromising politics and leadership style. This also led to her having quite a lot of enemies something that culminated with an IRA assassination attempt at a Brighton hotel. This bus was custom built to be able to hold any other similar attack, would that ever happen again.
Margaret Thatchers’ Private Armored Bus Is Up for Sale 1 photo
Photo: www.milweb.net
Five people were killed on the morning of October 12, 1984 including the wife of Cabinet Minister John Wakeham. Thatcher was staying at the hotel to attend the Conservative Party Conference, which she insisted should open as scheduled the following day.

Shortly after, an armored bus was built by special order for the Iron Lady and her cabinet. Built out of Foden buses and Rolls-Royce parts, the 36 seater is covered by a fully armored body with bullet proof glass and a 2-foot thick (0.6 meters) honey-combed anti-blast floor and run flat tires. The cover was designed to withstand bullets of up to 7.62 mm, the type you shoot out of automatic rifles. Meanwhile the wheels can’t be blown over.

It's ready to face chemical, biological or nuclear contamination

According to Nick Mead - an armored vehicles collector that bought this truck from the British Army - the bus even has a sealed environment with air filtration systems against chemical, biological and nuclear contamination, which is powered by a separate Diesel engine. Weighing 17.5 tonnes, the "Mad Max" bus is powered by a big 12-liter supercharged Rolls-Royce engine that “easily achieves 80 mph”.

Not only is it a true work of unique features, but it’s also supposed to be in a good shape considering it has only covered 21,000 kilometers (13,048 miles). “The interior is tidy but the body is a little cosmetically tired. One or two bullet holes on the outer alloy insulated skin. Very pleasant drive,” the ad on Milweb details the bus. As to the price, the current owner wants £25,000 ($37,810) but he claims he’s open to sensible offers.
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