5 facts about the US Presidential Limousine: The Beast
By Zain Ullah
The President of the United States (POTUS) is one of the best protected officials in the world. Surrounded by armed guards from the Secret Service, police motorcades and high-ranking military officials, whether this be inside the White House or flying in the Air Force One. But how does the President and his First Lady travel around the country or even the world?
The US President has a limousine nicknamed ‘The Beast’ when he travels by road. This limo is no ordinary vehicle that you see every day on the road. This special custom build vehicle is only fit for a person that needs to be protected 24/7. Today Art of Gears will be sharing 5 facts surrounding the ‘The Beast’.
1) The protection gadgets
The limousine must be a safe place for the President to sit in whilst travelling on the road. This means it needs to have some sort of anti-engagement system that can deter an enemy from possibly launching an attack on the vehicle and convoy. This is where the defence mechanisms come into play. The limousine is equipped tear gas, loaded shotguns and also has a grenade launcher on board which is capable of causing maximum damage to those attempting to pursue the President.
The heavily armoured beast has 8 inches thick plating surrounding the whole vehicle which is capable to protect anyone inside from constant firing. This specially built vehicle is also able to withstand a blast as the windows and engine bay are also armoured. Another major feature is the microphones built into the vehicle that can hear everything going on outside the vehicle and the communication systems that can be used to communicate with other vehicles in the motorcade.
2) The driver
To get behind the wheel of such an important state vehicle, one must be highly trained and go through major checks before even be considered to have the pleasure of driving the President around. The driver must go through rigorous training exercises, so they are trained if anything happens or in case of an emergency occurs. Driving a heavily armoured vehicle that weighs 14,000 pounds and stretches to 18- foot can also be a highly difficult task. For example, in the year 2009 the driver of identical beast limousine used by the President escort found it difficult to manoeuvre in Downing Street on a Presidential visit to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
3) Identical Cadillac’s
As mentioned in section number 2, there is an identical vehicle used by the Presidential escort. These two identical Presidential state vehicles have exactly the same designs and features as each other, from the armoured plating to defence mechanisms. They are always travelling with each other when on the road and the limousine has exactly the same registration plate as each other, which makes it difficult for everyone to know which one is carrying the President. This can come in handy as it works as a decoy to those wishing to cause harm to such an important person.
4) Price tag and operation cost
The running cost, fuel and the price to build a high value rare vehicle can cost the same amount of a really expensive hyper car. The price tags of each Cadillac Presidential limousine is said to have costed around £1.3 million which is equivalent to $1.47 million USD. As the weight of the vehicle is extremely heavy the fuel consumption rate also comes as no surprise, equipped with a 6.5 litre engine and able to reach a maximum speed of 60mph. Another feature is that the limousine runs on a diesel engine which is less flammable than petrol. The engine is also able to take sustained pressure and is able to withstand a naked match.
5) Motorcade escort
The Beast is never alone when it comes to driving around. Often surrounded by major police presence and security personnel, the motorcade works in a complex and choreographed way. When on a Presidential visit to any country the motorcade escort can consist of up to 30 to 50 vehicles depending on the event or safety of the country. The vehicles can carry members of the Presidential family, VIP guests and staff of the official White House Press. The police vehicles stay at the front of the escort to block traffic at intersections, remove any pedestrians and to clear general traffic that could slow the Presidential vehicle. When planning such a high-level operation members of the Secret Service must also determine the best safety route to evacuate the President if an attack is taking place.