Rolls-Royce Phantom news - The iron lady - 2007

Despots and dictators will be cheered to know that Rolls-Royce now offers an off-the-peg armoured Phantom.

It complies with VR7 level of protection, which is a fancy, techy way of saying it's the highest level of protection available in a car.

What it really means is that the armoured Phantom uses clever composite materials hidden under the standard body to stop bullets and other missiles disturbing its occupants' day.

There's also thickened glass and polycarbonate sheeting behind it, so you can see who is shooting at you without fear of being hit.

The Phantom's chassis has been beefed up to cope with the extra weight, but the 453bhp, 6.75-litre V12 remains in standard tune.

Rolls reckons the car is still sufficiently swift, so no worries about skipping the country if the locals turn ugly.