Presidential State Car (United States)
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The Presidential State Car is a name that can be given to several limousines used by the President of the United States. By analogy to Air Force One, the limousine is informally known as Cadillac One.
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[edit] Current model
The current Presidential Limousine is a 2006 hand-crafted, armored version of the stretch Cadillac DTS (DeVille Touring Sedan), first used on January 20, 2005 during the second inauguration parade of George W. Bush. The vehicle was custom built by O'Gara-Hess & Eisenhardt. The Secret Service refers to the heavily-armored vehicle as "the beast." [1]
The limousine is airlifted for domestic and international use primarily by U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III [2]. When the President travels on domestic and working international trips, Cadillac One displays the American and Presidential flags. When the President performs a state visit to a foreign country, the Presidential flag is replaced by the foreign country's flag.
The president occasionally rides in a Chevrolet Suburban when the situation calls, such as his visit to the Marine base at Twentynine Palms.[3][unreliable source?]
[edit] Previous presidential limousines
President Woodrow Wilson was one of the first chief executives to ride in a Cadillac during a World War I victory parade through the streets of Boston. A lavish 1928 Cadillac town car was used during the Coolidge Administration.
In 1938, two Cadillac convertibles dubbed the "Queen Mary" and "Queen Elizabeth" were delivered to the U.S. Government. Named after the great ocean liners of the time, the 21.5 feet (6.55 m), 7,660 pound (3470 kg) vehicles were equipped with a full ammunition arsenal, two way radios, and heavy duty generators. Durable and reliable, the two "Queens" served Presidents Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower.
On December 8, 1941, in the wake of Pearl Harbor, the Secret Service used an armored limousine, originally belonging to Prohibition-era gangster Al Capone, to transport the President to Congress to present his famous Infamy Speech. The car had been confiscated by the Department of the Treasury following Capone's conviction for tax evasion and had been stored in a Washington, D.C. impound lot until its ironic final duty.
The first car specially built for Presidential use was the 1939 Lincoln V12 convertible called the "Sunshine Special" used by Franklin D. Roosevelt. It remained in use until 1950. The vehicle was donated to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, where it is on permanent display.
A 1950 Lincoln Cosmopolitan called the "Bubble Top" was used by Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy and once by Johnson. It was retired in 1965 and is now located on permanent display at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.
President Eisenhower, who was known as a "car buff," had ridden in one of the first Cadillac Eldorados during the 1953 Inauguration Day Parade. The vehicle was unique as it had the first one piece "wrap-around" windshield, which quickly became a standard in domestic and foreign automobiles.
The John F. Kennedy limousine was a 1961 Lincoln Continental convertible, also with a Plexiglas bubble top in the event of inclement weather. The vehicle was custom built by Hess and Eisenhart of Cincinnati, and was known as the X-100. Kennedy chose to have the car refitted with a 1962 grille for aesthetic reasons.
The 1961 vehicle was notorious for its inadequate cooling of the rear of the passenger cabin while the bubble top was in place, particularly in sunshine. In order to prevent excessive heat and discomfort to the passengers, the top was often removed prior to parades, as was the case in Dallas on November 22, 1963.
Though it was always assumed that President Lyndon Baines Johnson had the car destroyed after the assassination of President Kennedy[citation needed], the X-100 was turned over to the Secret Service, Army Materials Research Center, Hess & Eisenhart, Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company, and Ford Motor Company for retrofitting of armor plating, permanent sedan roof, new interior, improved air-conditioning system, electronic communications equipment, bulletproof glass, a new paint treatment and cosmetic alterations to remove damage which incurred during the assassination, among other changes. The car is also on display at the Henry Ford Museum.[4]
The Johnson Administration also used three 1965 Lincoln Continental Executive Limousines. Two limousines for the President and one for Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, as well as a 1968 "stretch" Lincoln to be used in Washington, D.C., and Austin, Texas. This vehicle is on display at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.
The X-100 was modified again in 1967. Later, under President Richard Nixon, the large one-piece glass roof was replaced with a smaller glass area and a hinged roof panel. It remained in service until 1977 and resides in its final configuration at the Henry Ford Museum.
President Nixon ordered a 1969 model limousine, through Lehman-Peterson of Chicago. This vehicle also had an added sunroof so that Nixon could stand upright when appearing before parade-goers if desired. This vehicle was equipped with several features, such as retractable hand grips and running boards, options later copied by Hess and Eisenhart. This car is now located at the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda, California.
In 1974, Ford supplied a 1972 Continental model which was stretched to 22 feet in length, outfitted with armor plating, bullet resistant glass and powered by a 460 cu. in. V8 engine. This limousine was used by Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, and is on display at the Henry Ford Museum. This model was also altered a number of times during its history, including a replacement of front end piece to update it to a 1978 grill. This was the limousine that Reagan was about to enter during his assassination attempt in 1981.
In 1983 the Reagan Administration received a Cadillac Fleetwood limousine, which resides at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, California. George H. W. Bush used a 1989 modified Town Car. One of these models is on display at the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas.
A Presidential Series Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham was delivered to the Clinton Administration in 1993. The Cadillac vehicles were designed, developed and manufactured at General Motors. No sunroof or running boards were installed in order to minimize external threats. The 1993 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham is located at the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, Arkansas.
A 2001 Cadillac DeVille limousine was delivered to the Bush Administration and was replaced by the current 2006 Cadillac DTS.
[edit] Presidential motorcade
Since 2001, when the president travels out of town, his motorcade has been about 35 vehicles. Approximately the first half of the motorcade is called the secure package, which would break off from the rest of the group in an attack. The remainder of the motorcade is staff and reporters, an ambulance, and more police cars at the end.[5]
The Presidential limousine is sometimes taken to overseas stops where secure transportation is needed. Sometimes, the president uses transportation that is already in the country, either military or in the U.S. embassy motor pool. At times, the President travels in the Presidential Suburban, two Chevrolet Suburbans with the Presidential Seal on the sides. What circumstances decide their use is unknown (Sep. 2007). The president never uses foreign "assets" overseas.[2]
[edit] Guest limousines
The United States Government also operates similar but differently designed limousines for VIP guests, visiting Heads of Government, and Heads of State.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
This article's main source is the following website: The United States Secret Service
- ^ http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/06/11/frontpage/notebook.php
- ^ a b Ambassador Donald Ensenat (2007-01-18). Ask the White House (English). The White House (Bush Administration). Retrieved on 2007-05-22.
- ^ President George W. Bush aboard Marine One arrives at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, California (April 23, 2006).
- ^ [1]
- ^ http://www.slate.com/id/2154626/
[edit] External links
- JFK Limo
- Vehicle order for Presidential motorcade
- Infoplease: Who was the president when the White House got its first car?
- More pics of president's new Cadillac limousine
Categories: Articles needing additional references from August 2007 | All pages needing cleanup | Articles with unsourced statements since September 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since June 2007 | One-off automobiles | Executive Office of the President of the United States
