There comes a point in the pursuit of wealth when buying a faster car, a bigger house or a watch that costs more than a small hatchback apparently isn’t enough.

You need an armoured BMW, too. Because what’s the point of having everything if someone might try to take it away from you?

Enter the BMW Concept 7 Protection, a luxury saloon for people whose bank balances have apparently become a security risk.

Based on the 612hp BMW M760e xDrive, it combines plug-in hybrid performance with ballistic glass, armoured doors and protection against selected handgun ammunition.

There’s even an intercom, so you can speak to the outside world without actually having to engage with it.

Inside, naturally, there’s sumptuous leather, Alcantara and a folding table. Because if you’re going to barricade yourself against humanity, you may as well do it somewhere comfortable.

BMW calls it discreet protection for modern risk profiles. And perhaps, for diplomats, executives or people facing genuine threats, it makes perfect sense. But for everyone else, it raises a rather uncomfortable question.

At what point does being rich stop making life better and start making it something you need protecting yourself from?

There’s a peculiar irony in spending a fortune acquiring the freedom to do anything, only to find yourself travelling inside a steel-and-glass cocoon, watching the world through increasingly thick windows.

Perhaps the ultimate luxury isn’t a 612hp armoured limousine. Perhaps it’s being able to walk down the street, sit in a café and go wherever you please without worrying who’s watching.

And if that sounds disappointingly affordable, well, that might rather be the point.