Source: Wikipedia
Come January 20th, we'll not only have a new president, we'll have a new presidential limo too. GM officials confirmed to the Detroit News that it will deliver an all-new armored vehicle to the Secret Service in time for President Elect Obama's inauguration.
The current presidential limo (photo above) is based on the Cadillac DTS, but Obama's ride won't carry any specific model designation, a first according to Cadillac spokesman David Caldwell. Instead, it will simply be called the 2009 Cadillac Presidential Limousine, a vague designation that takes into account that it's basically a one-off vehicle that has little in common with anything in Cadillac's lineup.
"The president is not riding in a medium-duty truck, nor he is riding in a sedan," Caldwell said, adding that it is a "unique" vehicle.
jederino says:
09:26 AM, 01/ 6/09
What can it pull on the skidpad?
estreka says:
11:45 AM, 01/ 6/09
Are we getting a Popemobile?
brn says:
12:49 PM, 01/ 6/09
It'd be nice if it were based on a Chevy (or Ford) instead of a Cadillac. Next thing you know, this guy is going to be flying around in a private jet.
vq356mt says:
01:10 PM, 01/ 6/09
I read somewhere (maybe insideline?) that this limo is based on the frame of a TopKick with a diesel engine and Cadillac skin wrapped around layers of armor.
jederino says:
02:03 PM, 01/ 6/09
Those wheels are weak.
bankerdanny says:
03:13 PM, 01/ 6/09
It looks like one of those cars with two front ends grafted together.
I know room and safety are more important that looks, but jeez, couldn't GM have designed in just a LITTLE style?
billt9 says:
05:34 PM, 01/ 6/09
brn,
Uh, this guy does flies around in TWO private jets, both called Air Force One, each with a 52,410 gallon gas tank.
billt9 says:
05:42 PM, 01/ 6/09
This armored tank, the 8,000+lb Cadillac One, also has its own private jet called the C-17 Globemaster III with its 35,546 gallon gas tank.
How else does an 8,000+lb tank travel from city to city...
The Cadillac badge and its luxuries are cheap.
What's expensive is building the tank and the army required to travel with the president.
So by all means the president should be traveling in a luxurious Cadillac, because the luxury part of the bill is tiny.
subytrojan says:
06:35 PM, 01/ 6/09
Here's a link to a CNN article about President Obama's new set of wheels.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/06/driving.obama/index.html
Btw, we need Jack Bauer!
dougtheeng says:
06:08 AM, 01/ 7/09
Shame its so ugly. Something got lost in translation on this vehicle.
brn says:
11:11 AM, 01/ 7/09
billt9, I'm aware of that. I was having fun with that vs the automotive CEO's.
stingray454 says:
11:24 AM, 01/ 7/09
"This armored tank, the 8,000+lb Cadillac One, also has its own private jet called the C-17 Globemaster III with its 35,546 gallon gas tank."
Sometimes it travels on a C-5 Galaxy with a 51,150 gallon fuel capacity. Usually not by itself though - the entire secret service support fleet is on there too (Suburbans, Escalades, backup limos, etc.)
stingray454 says:
11:26 AM, 01/ 7/09
"Shame its so ugly. Something got lost in translation on this vehicle. "
Well, it's not easy to convert a GMC TopKick dump truck and make it look anything even close to a limo. It's amazing what they've done considering what it started as.
hondacura4 says:
05:24 PM, 01/ 7/09
How fast can it lap the Ring?
flicmod says:
07:42 AM, 01/ 8/09
Does it have a plug-in electric engine???