For the new president of the United States it is a return to the “Cadillac One”: he wanted it to use it in his first term. Here’s how it’s made and what technologies it should hide
In his own way, too The Beast will be the protagonist of the inauguration ceremony of Donald Trump, 47th president of the United States of America. Many would never have thought that Donnie would return to the car he tested in his first presidency. The current model, in fact, entered service on 24 September 2018, during a visit to the UN in New York. It is produced by Cadillac, and therefore also called ‘Cadillac One’ along the lines of Air Force One and Marine One, radio call sign of the presidential plane and helicopter respectively. The bodywork takes up the stylistic features of the Escalade, particularly in the front, but rests on a chassis derived from that of the pick-ups heavy duty with strictly secret specifications. Like those relating to the engine, which according to experts can be the 8.1-litre Vortec petrol V8 or the 6.6-litre Duramax V8 turbodiesel. The Beast rests on specific tyres, derived from those reserved for medium-heavy trucks in order to support a weight estimated between 15 thousand and 20 thousand pounds, i.e. between 7 and 9 tons. Also for this reason, the estimated maximum speed should not exceed 100 km/h. The cost? It looks like 1.5 million dollars.
BLOOD SUPPLIES
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As on previous models, on board the limousine there is bulletproof glass almost 15 centimeters thick and reinforcements that allow the car to resist assaults, explosions and attacks with firearms. The bodywork is fully armored to resist explosions, as are the floor and the fuel tank, the latter of which is covered with a special foam to avoid fires and detonations. The cockpit is totally isolated from the outside, so as to guarantee maximum safety for the occupants, it incorporates oxygen tanks to allow normal breathing in order to protect the occupants from a chemical attack. There is also no shortage of active defense systems such as electrified handles, a tear gas diffuser and a smoke generator. On board, there is also a refrigerator with blood supplies compatible with Donald Trump’s blood and a wide range of medical supplies designed to help the president in any eventuality. Like previous presidential cars, the current one should also have night vision goggles, tear gas and smoke grenade launchers to mask the vehicle in case of attack. To allow the president’s communications, on board there are encrypted communication systems connected to all the centers of American power.
NOT JUST CADILLAC
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The first presidential Cadillac dates back to 1919, the year in which Woodrow Wilson used a 1916 Series 53 for the Boston parade marking the end of the First World War. Even Herbert Hoover, at the end of the 1920s, traveled on several occasions in a Cadillac, a V-16, while other presidents, such as Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Harry Truman and John Kennedy, preferred models made by Ford, Lincoln and General Motors itself. In the 1960s, the first presidential car created to Secret Service specifications was built: it was the Lincoln X-100, the Continental car in which Kennedy, paradoxically, was assassinated in Dallas, but with the roof open. The tragedy led to the redesign of the car which, once equipped with new reinforcements and protections, was also used by Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter until 1977, before being replaced by an armored Lincoln Continental . Bill Clinton’s car, on the other hand, ended up at auction: the president from Arkansas asked for a Fleetwood in limousine trim – three examples for the record – and was obviously satisfied.
TESLA IN THE FUTURE?
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In 1984 a long wheelbase Cadillac Fleetwood arrived at the White House followed, 10 years later during the Clinton mandate, by the new generation of the flagship. In 2001, with the appointment of George W. Bush, General Motors was entrusted with the design of a new armored limousine, created using components from the Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Suburban and Gmc Yukon SUVs, immediately renamed “the Beast”. The same model was also used by Barack Obama until 2009 when Cadillac created a new version, used by Donald Trump until the model appeared in 2018 and which he has now (re)inherited from Joe Biden. Considering the power – actually more underground than concrete – of Elon Musk in the White House and ‘Donnie’s’ desire to amaze, never take it for granted that a Tesla will become the presidential car, without prejudice to the fact that it should become a ‘fortress’ like The Beast. Meanwhile, it is known that in the president’s fleet there is a Tesla Roadster (among the first built) and the Cybertruck received as a gift – last August from the influencer Adin Ross, with the airbrushing of the attack he suffered on 14 July 2024. It seems like a twist of fate but it was a Cybertruck that exploded last January 4th in front of Trump Tower.
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