New celebrity trend? Armoured cars that can electrify paparazzi and withstand chemical attacks

Demand in U.S. is soaring as inequality has risen over the past five years

Rich and famous Americans are increasingly choosing to travel in armoured vehicles with features life electrified doorhandles and sealed ventilation systems to protect against gas attacks.

Rap stars Kanye West and T.I. and actor Sacha Baron Cohen are among the jittery stars to have invested in armoured cars built, in many cases, to withstand even large-calibre ordinance.

An executive at one company catering to such security conscious clients says that demand in the U.S. has soared particularly in the past five years, as inequality has risen after the banking crisis.

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Overkill? A Latvian-made Prombron Iron Diamond, two of which have just been bought by Kanye West

Jason Forston, vice president of Texas Armoring, credited 'the climate of fear right now — the growing gap between the haves and the have-nots' for the surge in sales.

His firm strips vehicles back to the bare bones and installs not only armour plating, but also gadgets like electrified door handles to discourage carjackers and over-zealous paparrazzi.

The cars, which look virtually indistinguishable to other vehicles, can take two to three months to complete, at a cost of up to $100,000.

Security conscious: Rapper Kanye West recently splashed out on two Prombron Iron Diamond armoured cars costing around $1.2million each

Mr Forston told The Hollywood Reporter that a 'large part' of his customers are 'celebrities, pro athletes and rock stars', but they also have many buyers who are 'people not in the spotlight'.

Many stars, particularly those involved in the gangster-fetishising mainstream rap music industry, may be mindful of the fate of Christopher Wallace.

Wallace, better known by his artist name Biggie Smalls, was leaving a Vibe magazine party Los Angeles party in 1997 when a car pulled up beside his his. Its driver opened fire, spraying the door of Wallace's Suburban with 9mm bullets.

The star was hit four times and killed. He was just 24 years old.

Memories of Wallace's fate, and the explosion in carjacking after the LA riots five years earlier, have been among the best advertising for armoured vehicles. But there is no denying they are also an ostentatious status symbol.

One of the most extreme examples is the Prombron Iron Diamond made by Latvia's Dartz Motorz, the same company that built Sacha Baron Cohen's gold-plated presidential SUV featured in The Dictator.

Kanye West recently ordered two Iron Diamonds at a staggering cost of $1.2million (£750,000) each, car website Jalopnik reported.

It's not only specialist manufacturers who are meeting the demand. Bentley, BMW and Mercedes, among others, all quietly make armoured versions of their upmarket vehicles.

BMW boasts that its 7 Series High Security not only offers 'an unforgettable driving experience' but is also 'designed to meet the highest protection standards'.

As well as being able to withstand high-velocity, armour-piercing rounds, the car is equipped with run-flat tyres and sealed ventilation to keep the air inside fresh while all around are dying from chemical gas.

Meanwhile, San Antonio-based Texas Armoring has custom built bulletproof vehicles for the likes of Steven Seagal and T.I.

Life cut short: Christopher Wallace, aka Biggie Smalls, was just 24 years old and at the height of his fame when he was shot four times and killed as he left a party in the passenger seat of a GMC Suburban in 1997

But are all these features necessary? Aaron Cohen, director of Hollywood's IMS Security, which secures the homes of many high-profile celebrities, thinks not.

'Statistically, with the exception of a few cases, I don't think there's a need for it,' he said, adding that much of what the cars come equipped with is 'overkill'.

But Robert Siciliano, a New York-based security consultant, disagrees. He pointed out that a 25 cent bullet will penetrate a non-armoured vehicle 'pretty efficiently'.

For stars earning many millions of dollars a year like Kanye West, then, spending a fraction of that on an armoured car doesn't seem like that silly.