The current Presidential vehicle is known as The Beast Limo. It’s a 2018 Cadillac with five-inch-thick military-grade armor. The presidential preference for Cadillacs goes way back. But that could soon change.
Regardless of the make or model, a presidential limo needs security. For example, the Beast limo is protected from a chemical attack with a hermetic seal and can be electrified to repel intruders. The chassis has reinforcing plates. The Kevlar-reinforced tires are resistant to shredding and punctures. A refrigerator holds plasma in the President’s blood type.
Presidential Cars Through Time
FDR’s 1939 Sunshine Special was the most famous Presidential car of that time. It had a 12-cylinder engine and four doors.
The use of Cadillacs dates back for more than a century:
- Woodrow Wilson took a ride in a 1916 Series 53 Caddy as early as 1918 for a World War I victory parade in Boston.
- Calvin Coolidge set the modern precedent, riding around in a lavish 1928 Cadillac 341 Town Car.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt also had a Cadillac. But his was a heavily armored 1936 model. The feds had seized it from Al Capone.
Other presidents with Cadillacs include Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower. They rode in a black and white custom 1952 Cadillac Series 75 limousine built by the Derham Body Company. eBay offered that car for auction four years ago. Here it is:
All these presidents were served by Cadillacs: Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy (though he was killed in a Lincoln), Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump. Reagan’s 1984 limo is at the Reagan Library.
The “Trump Edition” Limo
Trump is a big Cadillac man. In 1987, he partnered with General Motors on the idea of a “Trump Edition” limousine. The car had three phones, TV and VCR, a raised roof, and a paper shredder.
Plans to build 50 of them with Dillinger Coachwork were scrapped. But Trump ended up with the two prototypes, one of which went to his father.
In 2002, I interviewed a pre-Presidential Trump for The New York Times about his limousine preferences. Mercedes was introducing the new ultra-luxurious Maybach at the time. Trump said:
I buy 75 limousines over three years for my various hotels, and I’d certainly be willing to look at the new Maybach. People like a stretch.
Biden’s Beast Limo
Everybody likes SUVs these days. Why not the president? One day, he could switch to a vehicle like this 2020 600-hp Lincoln Navigator Black Label for sale on eBay.
The Beast limo will continue to serve President Biden, at least initially. Presidential limousines often extend through two or even three Presidents. Foreign makes like Maybach, Rolls-Royce, or Mercedes are not an option in a car-making nation like America. Are there other choices?
Lincoln for one. The Town Car is no longer on the market, so any Presidential Lincoln would probably be based on SUVs like the oversized Navigator. There’s precedent there, too: FDR rode in the Sunshine Special, a stretched and armored 1939 Lincoln convertible. Kennedy also favored open Lincolns.
After the Kennedy assassination, security officials insisted on a closed vehicle. Officials rebodied that same car, which went on to serve Presidents Johnson and Nixon. Today, the Lincoln resides at the Henry Ford Museum in Michigan.
Maybe the president will ride in a Chrysler. In fact, Chrysler built three Imperial Parade Phaetons in 1952. They were strategically in New York, Los Angeles, and Detroit. In a White House less concerned about security, open and windowless vehicles were fine.
Will the Presidential Beast Limo Go Hybrid or Electric?
The American-made, all-electric, bullet-proof Tesla Cybertruck could make a good presidential car.
A possible base for a new Beast limo could be the 2021 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. It’s roomy, tech-laden, and fitting for an environmentally conscious president. Thanks to its big plug-in battery, the Pacific Hybrid minivan gets the equivalent of 82 miles per gallon. After the battery is depleted, the Pacifica can keep running on gasoline.
And then there’s Tesla. Elon Musk would likely be glad to fit out a stretched Model S or X, or even create something new. The upcoming stainless-steel Tesla Cybertruck already looks like an armored vehicle.
A fully electric made-in-America presidential limousine would make a strong statement, wouldn’t it?
All the presidential limousines are based—at least mechanically—on production automobiles, so servicing them is probably not that difficult. The Beast limo, which cost $15.8 million to build, was based on the Cadillac CT6. That vehicle is well-served at eBay, both cars and parts.
eBay also has Beast memorabilia, including pins, photos, and model cars.
