Like Air Force One, the official Presidential limousine is a sophisticated, state-of-the-art transportation machine whose sole purpose is to allow the President to be an effective executive while in motion from place to place. No single U.S. auto maker has ever enjoyed a monopoly on supplying the Presidential limousine. In the past, special, souped-up, armored Lincolns, Chryslers, and Cadillacs have all served as the U.S. President's limo (officially termed the State Car"). But right now, Cadillac is on a roll, and has provided Presidential Cadillacs to a long line of recent presidents, including Presidents Reagan, Bush (both 41 and 43), Clinton, Obama, and now Trump. Here are some fun facts about this unique machine, known by a number of nicknames, including "The Beast," "Limousine One," and (lately), "Cadillac One:" 1. It takes years to make a "beast." The current Presidential limousine, which tested in late 2016 and is now employed by the current administration, is a Cadillac-branded car that took about four years for GM to design and build. While the specifications within the RFP that won GM the bid are state secrets, it's speculated that the reason it takes years to build "the beast" is that its many protective features - especially its special proprietary armor -- must be extensively tested before they're fitted to the car.
2. It's a Cadillac, but it's also not a Cadillac. While the headlights, taillights, and certain grille elements of the current Presidential limousine are identical to those used by stock Cadillac vehicles, just about everything else is proprietary, secret, and custom-built by GM. Still, it's quite likely that many of the high-end luxury features available in today's Cadillac models, for example hand-cut-and-sewn leather seats, individualized climate control, a state-of-art edutainment system, and other interior finery is also present in "Cadillac One."
3. Don't look for these on the used-car market. After a Presidential car has been retired, it's completely destroyed by the Secret Service. Doing so prevents the bad guys from finding out how to defeat its safety and communications equipment, and also has the side benefit of letting the Secret Service test out how well its armor fares when subjected to real-life bullets, bombs, and other violent assaults. But one notable Presidential limo - Bill Clinton's 1993 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham - managed to escape this ignominious fate, and now resides in the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum in Little Rock, Arkansas. Although visitors are allowed to gawk at the car's sleek exterior, its interior remains locked and inaccessible to the public. 4. If you see it in a movie, it's not the real thing. Hollywood has made many thrillers involving fictional U.S. Presidents and his/her official car is often a featured actor. But because the Secret Service won't reveal any details, filmmakers have had to use creativity and imagination replicating the Presidential limo. Particularly convincing facsimiles were recently featured in the 2013 thriller White House Down, and Road and Track actually went so far as to go for a test drive in this faux prez-mobile. Although the resultant film wasn't a box office smash, the faux Cadillac is a stylish, credible looking fake that wouldn't look out of place in an official motorcade.
5. No, you can't buy one. A San Francisco based firm called Limousine World is selling an "Obama Style Presidential Armored Limousine" wrapped in "High-Powered Rifle Protection Armoring T6" that looks a whole lot like President Obama's State Car, but it's not the real deal. Sorry, but the only way to properly experience the actual "beast" is to get properly elected.
While Sarant can't get you elected President, the same luxury features, quality, and superior performance exhibited in "Cadillac One" can be yours by selecting one of the fine Cadillacs on our Farmingdale lot. Call us at 877-212-1682 or use our website's online contact form.
