Take a Look at the State of the Art Presidential Limo

Take a Look at the State of the Art Presidential Limo

Affectionately known as The Beast, Cadillac One is a rolling fortress designed to protect the president in any number of emergency situations. On the surface it might look like a pretty standard Cadillac DTS stretch limo, but upon closer inspection you’ll find that it’s anything but stock. The Beast was custom designed and built by the Secret Service to be virtually impenetrable by bullets, bombs, and even chemical weapons.

The vehicle’s doors are fortified with 8 inch thick armor plating and bulletproof windows made of layered glass and polycarbonate. All that additional armor means that each door weighs as much as the cabin door in a 757 airliner. The body panels on the vehicle are composed of a combination of steel, titanium, and high-strength ceramics. The interior of the vehicle is completely sealed in order to protect it in the event of an airborne chemical attack. The total weight of the vehicle is classified information.

Rumor has it that, in addition to a supplementary oxygen tank and fire suppression system, the trunk contains bottles of the president’s blood type in case of an emergency. The gas tank is sealed in flame resistant foam so that, even in the event of a direct hit, it won’t explode. A thick steel plate protects the undercarriage of The Beast from explosives as well. Run-flat tires allow the vehicle to continue driving on its heavy-duty steel rims even in the event of four total blowouts.

Perhaps the most James Bond-like feature of the vehicle is its twin teargas cannons mounted below the front grille. Concealed between the cannons is a night vison camera that allows the driver to see in pitch black conditions.

The Beast’s one weakness seems to be tall curbs, as it demonstrated in an unfortunate (read: amusing) snafu during a presidential trip to Ireland in 2011.

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