The name ‘The Beast’ has always been the name to describe the official car used by the United States President. The big question is: is the new president-elect going to retain the same car used by Donald Trump as the official car? Probably, Cadillac engineers are already in the factory creating another road machine for president of the most powerful country in the world. At least for now!
Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on the 20th of January 2021. Unknown to many, the new president has always been a big fan of cars. We learnt he owns several exotic cars in his collection. Since he cannot take one of his privately-owned cars for state duty, he will be accompanied by a customized Cadillac Limousine dubbed ‘The Beast’ for state assignment.
The present model of this ‘Cadillac One’ also known as ‘The Beast’ manufactured by General Motors made its first appearance in 2018. The design was based on the chassis found on an SUV or truck, each estimated at $1.5 million. Nobody outside the Us Secret Service knows the full specifications of this powerful ride. Well, we cannot blame them when you consider how vulnerable the US president is to attacks from many camps.
The custom-built Cadillac Limousine is fitted with heavy armour, part of which include a hermetically sealed interior, 5-inch thick bulletproof glass, run-flat tyres, onboard oxygen supply and ability to use weapons such as tear gas cannons and shotguns.
Another interesting aspect of the car is its foam-filled armoured fuel tank for explosion prevention and possible fire incident. There are also bags of the President’s blood type, in case of medical emergency when blood transfusion is required.
The cabin of the driver or chauffeur is separated from the space for the president, with equipment for communication in use. The driver will also enjoy some state-of-the-art equipment like night vision and GPS tracking system, all in place to keep the president safe.
The president can only lower the partition of the two cabins, and also get access to the vice president and Pentagon via the provided satellite telephone.
We expect the Beast to be very heavy when you look at these equipment fitted on the car. The ‘First Car’ is reportedly said to weigh between 6,800 kg to almost 10 kg. The styling is kept simple on the outside, with familiar design tweaks on other models from the american carmaker.
Watch the moment President Joe Biden arrived for his inauguration ceremony:
To drive the US president around is a very important job and isn’t given to just anyone. The driver of this beast is a highly trained member of the US secret Service. The convoy for the US president usually comprises 2 similar Cadillac Ones. The president will be inside one while the other in the company of other vehicles acts as a decoy and backup vehicle for the safety of the President.