President Obama’s New Ride
General Motors Corp. has made the new limousine for President Obama. It is a Cadillac, but does not have a specific model. The specifications of this vehicle are amazing. It will ride like a limo but act like a tank, says Marshall Brain of www.howstuffworks.com. An article by Brain was in my local paper entitled “Rollin’ With the Prez.”
According to Brain, “what the president needs is a car that contains many of the elements of a tank but still looks like a car for the sake of appearances.” This is pretty much exactly what GM’s Cadillac division did to make President Obama’s limousine. The car looks somewhat like a Cadillac, because there are bits and pieces from a real Cadillac, but everything else is custom work.
The first thing that people will notice about this limousine is its size. ”Think about the Hummer H2 for comparison” says Brain. The Hummer H2 is the biggest car out there today, and this limo will be a foot longer. When President Obama, at 6′ 1/2″, stands next to his new limo, it will be almost as tall as he is.
Here are some things that have to be done to the vehicle to keep it and its content very safe.
1. The bodywork is reinforced with steel and titanium to create bulletproof protection.
2. The windows are 5 inches thick and bulletproof as well.
3. The tires are built to withstand almost anything, and even if the rubber is destroyed, there are solid “tires” attached to the rims that will allow the limo to drive away.
4. Five inches of steel plating is underneath the limo that would deflect a bomb or mine on the road.
5. The engine and radiator are protected against bullets and bombs too.
6. The limo is sealed like a cocoon with its own air supply and oxygen tanks on board as well in case of a chemical attack.
7. The gas tank is protected with armor and filled with a special form (like race cars use) to prevent it from exploding. There is an automatic extinguisher system that would take care of any fires.
That’s some serious safety precautions, as it should be. And even with all this protection, the presidential limousine still has a motorcade that he travels with for safety as well. Pretty impressive stuff.