FOX 11 Archives: LA Gangster's Bulletproof Buggy

L.A.'s most famous home-grown hoodlum, Mickey Cohen, ran the gambling and prostitution rackets from the 1930s through the early 1950s, when he went to prison for income tax evasion.

After Cohen's Brentwood home was firebombed in February, 1950, the mobster decided he needed more protection. He paid legendary car customizer Coachcraft $17,000 to bulletproof a brand-new Cadillac Fleetwood.

The coach builder weighed down this monster with bulletproof tires, 1 ¾" thick windows, steel plates built into the seatbacks and a hinged windshield. One could imagine the barrel of a gun poking out of it.

The car was impounded before Mickey could take delivery. He had failed to get the proper permits to launch an armored vehicle on public roads. We've got some nice footage of the custom Caddy being inspected by police. Eventually, Cohen sold the car at a loss, and at last report it resides in an auto museum in New Zealand.

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