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' TOP GEAR' t he BBC' s leading mot oring show has t est ed t he ' world' s most unst oppable vehicle' af t er it put a Paramount Group MARAUDER t hrough a series of challenges. More t han 5 million UK viewers saw t he Marauder, which is designed and built by t he Paramount company of Sout h Af rica, t ake on and pass all t he t est s it was set by present er Richard Hammond in t he urban jungles of Johannesburg, Sout h Af rica.

Marauder is act ually t hree vehicles in one. It can be produced as an inf ant ry pat rol vehicle, a command cent re and even an ambulance!

Wit h long range f uel t anks added it can t ravel an ext ra 5 0 0 km - making it ideal f or long range pat rols.

Marauder can survive explosions of 14 kg of TNT under it s wheels and 7 kg under it s hull - making it one of t he world' s t oughest vehicles.

Whet her sit t ing in t he boiling heat of +5 5 C or t he f reezing t emperat ures of -3 2 C, occupant s can st ay cool or warm wit h t he ult ra modern climat e cont rol syst em.

Marauder can lit erally swim! It has a f ording dept h of half t he vehicle making it ideal f or rugged and wet t errain.

It has special 'run f lat ' t yre insert s which means t hat t he t yres can be perf orat ed by 1 2 .7 mm bullet rounds and st ill keep rolling f or at least anot her 5 0 km!

Marauder weighs around 1 5 t ons but can be reach 1 8 t ons when f ully loaded!

The vehicle can be f it t ed wit h an IED jammer - making it t he enemy of t errorist s worldwide.

Ant i blast seat s prot ect t roops f rom roadside bombs and rocket at t ack - keeping t hem saf e f rom t he huge f orce of explosions, wit hout just prot ect ing t he vehicle.

Wit h a maximum speed of 1 2 0 Km/ hr t he Marauder is no slow coach.

Sout h Af rica is world renowned f or producing some of t he best prot ect ed and most t echnologically innovat ive armoured vehicles in t he world. During t he programme, which was broadcast in t he UK on Sunday 2 6 t h June, t he Marauder f lat t ened cars, smashed t hrough brick walls and def ied at t acks by hungry lions in t he Sout h Af rican bush.

In t he f inal t est a Marauder and a Hummer were blown up in explosions simulat ing t he roadside bombs f aced daily in conf lict zones. The Hummer was t ot ally dest royed, but t he Marauder was barely damaged and drove away f rom t he explosion and int o t he Sout h Af rican sunset .

Richard Hammond also t ook Marauder on an ent ert aining t our of Johannesburg and almost brought Sout h Af rica' s largest cit y t o a complet e st andst ill.

St unned onlookers wat ched in awe as t he bright red Marauder roared t hrough t he crowded st reet s, excit ing pedest rians and t ot ally dominat ing t he usually busy roads.

Hammond even managed t o order a burger while driving t hrough a McDonald's, alt hough he did demolish a number of securit y bollards in t he process.

Ivor Ichikowit z, t he Execut ive Chairman of t he Paramount Group, said: " The Marauder is one of t he t oughest vehicles in t he world. We challenged Richard Hammond t o t hrow anyt hing he want ed at it and Marauder wit hst ood it all.

" Despit e t he f un working wit h Top Gear, it is import ant t o remember soldier prot ect ion is a very serious issue f or armies worldwide. We are t alking about saving lives. Wit h t his t ype of t echnology available and t he ever present t hreat of IED's t here really is no excuse f or government s not t o provide t he best prot ect ed vehicles f or t heir def ence f orces.

" Personnel can be assured t hat when t ravelling in Marauder t hey are in one of t he world's t oughest vehicles. Sout h Af rica, and Paramount Group in part icular, has a rich t radit ion of providing some of t he most innovat ive and best prot ect ed vehicles in t he world and Marauder is one such vehicle."

Marauder is a high-mobilit y armoured personnel carrier wit h out st anding levels of prot ect ion against mines, IEDs and ballist ic at t ack. It can carry up t o 1 0 f ully armed t roops and can be conf igured in a number of variant s depending on t he role. It is ext remely f lexible and is a t rue inf ant ry workhorse.