The one that can be considered as The safest car in the world is reaching the end of its life cycle. The presidential limousine manufactured by Cadillac is popularly known as ‘The Beast’ since its first version entered service in 2001under the presidency of George W. Bush. The second iteration came with Barack Obama in 2009 and the third, currently in use, was incorporated in 2018 with Donald Trump. In a recent program Jay Leno’s Garagethe former host of The Tonight Show was able to take a look at The Beast, but without accessing the interior of the vehicle, in the company of two members of the Presidential Protection Division of the Secret Service, Steve Abel and Jay Nasworthywho confirmed that Its useful life is 8 yearswith which his successor should arrive in 2026, in addition to commenting on some curiosities of this presidential limousine.
Among them, that the vehicle of 9 tonsin practice a rolling bunker with a wide variety of defensive countermeasures, is built to look like a Cadillac but It uses a modified truck chassis that is five and a half meters long.Its exterior appearance is different from that of any other Cadillac, but it maintains a resemblance to the manufacturer’s flagship sedan. CT6 while the dashboard inside is, according to Nasworthy, similar to that of a Cadillac Escalade ‘from a couple of years ago’.
As you would expect from a presidential car, it features mod cons like seats with integrated heating, cooling and massage functions, but what’s most interesting are the aspects that make it in a fortress on wheels. The presidential limousine is designed to withstand a wide variety of attacks and get the US President to safety as quickly and safely as possible in a dangerous situation, although Their exact capabilities are classified.
The Beast uses a heavy armorresponsible for both its enormous weight and height, 178 cmwhich can repel direct attacks, including anti-tank grenades, limpet mines, and even Stinger-type missiles..
It has Kevlar-reinforced, run-flat tireswhich can continue rolling even after being damaged and receiving several impacts, and a auxiliary fuel pump redundant to help ensure that the engine continues to run if something happens to its primary fuel delivery system. The engine it employs is a General Motors V8 Vortecthe parent company of Cadillac, which has a horsepower of 300 horses.
A fire suppression system ensures that, in the event of an accident that produces flames, the occupants will not be burned alive inside the vehicle. The cabin is sealedwhich is why the windows cannot be opened, and a military grade environmental system allows protection in environments of nuclear, biological and chemical warfare.
Also included a night vision system for driving and a communications suite that connects to the president’s motorcade’s secure wireless network. Its medical equipment includes blood bags which contain the same type of medicine as the president’s and are kept refrigerated inside the vehicle in case of an emergency in which the ambulance in the motorcade cannot access the president.
The defensive measures of the Beast are kept very secret, but it has been published that they include the ability to deploy smoke screens, oil stains, disperse tear gas and even send electric charges through the car door handles.
When they reach the end of their useful life, these vehicles are destroyed for security reasons. Its cost is estimated at approximately two million dollars per unit.