US
President Donald Trump's Cadillac limousine is known simply as "The
Beast." It's one of the most famous president limos in the world.
The presidential state car, maintained by the United States Secret Service, is transported in the hold of Air Force One. It is considered as the safest car across the world. In a nutshell: It's not a car. It's a tank! Here is a look at some of the eye-popping safety features of the car.
10 Things to Know About the President's
Limo
1. It isn't actually a Cadillac.
Unlike any presidential state car before it, The Beast shares little in common
with a standard production car. Its chassis, diesel engine and transmission are
based on those used GM's rugged heavy-duty commercial vehicles. Some standard
trim pieces, like headlamps, tail lamps, and the overall grille design keep it
looking like a Caddy, but underneath, it's a completely different, well, beast.
2. It has its own airplane.
The Secret Service makes
use of a C-17 Globe master transport aircraft to haul The Beast, a second limo
and a heavily armored Chevrolet Suburban communications vehicle, any time the
President is traveling. The Suburban is nicknamed Roadrunner and it is said to
be a rolling communications office directly linked to a military satellite -
hence the SATCOM dome festooned to its roof
3. Calling it armored is an understatement.
There is probably not a better-armored vehicle with windows on the planet than
The Beast. Its armor plating is said to be 8 inches thick and its doors weigh
as much as those on a Boeing 757 aircraft. Five-inch thick bulletproof windows
contain at least five layers to put a damper on any effort by subversives. And
those gigantic, nearly bus-size Goodyear tires are Kevlar-reinforced run-flats
capable of keeping The Beast on the road for quite some distance if needed. The
interior is sealed off from the outside world to reduce risks of a chemical
attack, while a special foam surrounds the fuel tank to insulate it in the
event of an impact.
4. It's exceedingly well-equipped.
Pop
open The Beast's trunk and it is said that you'll find everything from
firefighting equipment and oxygen tanks to a cache of the president's blood
type. There are tear gas canisters, shotguns and, supposedly, grenade
launchers, integrated into The Beast. The Secret Service has learned a lot
since President John F. Kennedy's open-top Lincoln Continental was fired upon
on Elm Street in Dallas.
5. It holds seven passengers.
At the very least, The Beast has three passengers aboard - the driver, the president's lead Secret Service protective agent in the front passenger seat and, of course, the president himself. However, four additional seats in the back are available - three rearward facing spots on a bench and one spot next to the president for a guest. A folding desk separates the president from his guest's spot.Somewhat surprisingly, the president's bench is covered in a dark blue cloth rather than leather (although plenty of hide is on board). Shoulder belts that retract toward the center of the bench and buckle into the outboard corners - the reverse of a normal rear seat - are included.
6. The Beast is not alone.
The Secret Service actually
has a few Beast-like vehicles. Although it's not known whether they're all
functionally identical, some look more like a Cadillac CT6 than The Beast. The
other limousines are used for high-ranking foreign officials and VIP guests
when they're in Washington, D.C. It isn't known why the Secret Service rotates
between presidential vehicles, however.In addition, the President sometimes
travels in a heavily-armored Chevrolet Suburban or a modified Prevost bus known
as Ground Force One rather than The Beast.
7. It runs on diesel.
The Beast is believed to use
a Duramax diesel engine closely related to that featured under the hood of
Chevrolet and GMC's full-size heavy duty pickup trucks. Why diesel? Aside from
the durability associated with diesel engines, the fuel has a low volatility
that reduces the risk of it exploding - and it can be found everywhere in the
world, unlike high quality unleaded fuel.
8. Its pilot is a heck of a driver.
Even
though The Beast has more in common with a school bus than a sports car, its
highly-trained drivers can execute tight J-turns and other police-style evasion
techniques in the event of a situation gone south. The Secret Service drivers
have undergone extensive training on a secluded site (believed to be a military
base) with input from GM engineers and test drivers.
9. Its specs will not impress you.
Burdened with lugging a rumored 20,000 lbs. worth of Beast around, the diesel
engine isn't a rocket, and the big car's top speed is said to max out at a
pretty typical highway pace. In addition, all that weight makes it a guzzler;
it's unlikely The Beast does better than 10 mpg.
10. It's all-new.
President Trump has had the privilege to ride in two different iterations of the presidential limo. Until September of 2018 (when the new model was first spotted in New York City), he made use of the same generation employed during President Obama's term in office
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