Mr. Obama's new wheels - First official look

[underpants]

From my own "44" thread
Sweeeeeeeeeeet!!!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-parker/mr-obamas-new-wheels---fi_b_158830.html

The newest presidential limousine was officially scheduled to make its debut on Inauguration Day, but it appears that it might have been used Saturday night to carry the Obama family to Blair House when their 137-mile, day-long train journey from Philadelphia ended at Union Station in Washington, DC. Call it a "dry run" for Tuesday afternoon.

Now, thanks to Detroit News reporter David Shapardson, we now know a bit more about the new "2009 Cadillac Presidential Limousine" (official moniker) which President Barack Obama and family will ride to their new address on Tuesday afternoon.

General Motors recently delivered the new limousine to the Secret Service, replacing the 2006 model Cadillac DTS presidential limousine that President George W. Bush has used (and which will be farmed-out to other parts of the country and world as needed).

And you can bet the Secret Service has been driving the stuffing out of it from the moment they got the keys. Anyone who has been lucky enough to take evasive driving courses at facilities where the police, FBI and Secret Service train, as I have, knows there's nothing quite like the thrill of performing what's known as a "reverse 180 degree turn performed within a limited space," a high-speed maneuver in which the driver forces a vehicle to turn around in almost its own length, and get headed in another direction. Pronto.

GM declined to say how many it was building for the government, but it's believed to be fewer than 25; the cars provide protection across the country and around the world for the president and other leaders and diplomats, and are expected to remain working and in-service for several years. Cost? No price too high.

The new limousine has larger windows and better visibility for the new president, GM's Caldwell said, adding that it is roughly the same size and "footprint" of the previous model. A footprint you don't want to be under.

Spy shots of a test version of the limo (called a "mule" in car-talk) made the rounds on blogs this summer (including this one), with suggestions that it was built on GM's medium-duty truck platform and had a diesel engine. But those photos didn't have GM production panels (GM can still keep a secret when they must). Anyone viewing the Inaugural Parade in-person Tuesday will find out if the limo is diesel-powered or not; just sniff the air as it passes. Turbocharged or supercharged diesel engines would make sense for the car; the limo would be able to easily chug-along at parade speeds, and have power available if and when it's needed. Could be a clean diesel in its future.

GM's Caldwell said it would be a mistake to classify the new vehicle as a truck or a sedan.

When pressed on it, he said, "One of the specifications is that we don't talk about the specifications."

Here's a hint of what the new limo really might be from a release I got yesterday from Goodyear, which reads in part: "On the new presidential limousine, a heavily customized Cadillac DTS (mistake - this limo has no model name, as we already know), a set of Goodyear tires -- Goodyear Regional RHS -- will be occupying the four corners of the car. These are actually truck tires in a 285/70R19.5 size, necessary due to the vehicle's extra load that includes a heavy-duty chassis, extended length and armored material."

Another company provides heavy armor that is reportedly at least five inches thick. The limousine has bulletproof glass and a completely sealed interior to ward off any chemical attack.

We can also surmise the car, called The Beast by its handlers, has secure satellite communications, the ability to jam local-area cell phones and sites so the phones can't be used to set-off explosives (a common problem in the Iraq War) and probably has other James Bond-ish features like exterior tear gas dispensers, a trunk-full of heavy weaponry and possibly the ability to deliver strong electric shocks to anyone touching the car's exterior.

Mr. Obama's personal 2005 Chrysler 300C sedan was listed on eBay for $100,000 by someone (not Obama) this past week, but was relisted yesterday at a cool million. Don't let me keep you from bidding. The car features GPS, moonroof and a leather interior.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090114/AUTO01/901140447/1001/BIZ
Other facts also are secret like the vehicle's curb weight -- though based on earlier models it is in excess of 10,000 pounds. Cadillac has disclosed in the past that the limo has a 10-disc CD player and hand-stitched leather interiors.