Shootbrownelk noted:
Actually, nowadays the engines are usually aluminum in cars from what I've seen. Not much in the way of protection, but better than nothing I suppose.
I would try to stay low behind the engine block. As to first hand experience, when I first fired my Barrett last year, we had a couple junk cars to shoot at.
An iron block, when hit by a .50 BMG ball round, will have a very nice hole in the entry side. Depending what it hits inside the engine, and there is a lot of steel inside, the bullet will be mangled pretty good and loose a lot of energy and shape. None of the rounds we shot went thru both sides. (Oil pan shots don't count
. )
Switching to APIT, if the round avoided the crank and other very solid structures, you can have a small window on both sides.
The aluminum block was a bit easier to get through with APIT, but not guaranteed.
I'll try to go back and find some pics.
Given nothing but an aluminum block, take it.
Very few bad guys are going to have a .50 BMG much less shoot at such a close range with one.