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Farewell to 'The Beast': Could Donald trump Obama's presidential ride?

Cape Town - Billionaire Donald Trump has been elected America's 45th president and will be officially inaugurated on Friday (Jan. 21)

Regardless of your political views let's discuss the most important aspect (at least for petrolheads) - What will be the next US presidential ride.

Enter 'The Beast'

Barack Obama was possibly the world's most famous president and polarized the US nation. But even if you're the most popular president in history, how does a US president travel in safety?

READ: This is what Melania Trump will wear to the presidential inauguration

Obama's official limousine, named 'The Beast', was one of the world's safest vehicles. The amount of safety technology it boasted put some military vehicles to shame. Newly elected US president, Trump, will be similarly transported in a modified presidential vehicle. 

READ: Obama says self-driving could save lives

Its features and technologies remain a closely guarded secret (i.e US national security). It's safe to assume that it could sport improvements compared to the outgoing 'Beast'. Not to mention any modification's Trump might want; Perhaps a personalized plate? Perhaps an ejector seat?


Ejector seat, hot tub, 'Trump card' licence plate... Which modifications do you think newly-elected US president, Donald Trump, should feature in his new presidential car? Email us or reach us via Facebook  and Twitter.


'The Beast' was a heavily modified Cadillac, a brand, along with Lincoln's, that's been used by US presidential rides for decades, limousine albeit capable of withstanding heavy fire and sealed in case of a chemical attack. 

The doors weigh as much as the ones fitted to a Boeing 757, it has 20cm armor plates, and the bulletproof windows are 12cm thick. 

It's speculated that 'The Beast' weighs anything from 6000kg - 9000kg, can reach 0-100km/h in 15 seconds, and has a top speed of 100km/h. And despite it being powered by a diesel engine, fuel range is a shocking 64-litres/100km! In other words, 1.56km/litre.

Below: Obama's 'The Beast'

What Trump could be transported in

Very little is known about Trump's new limo and will likely remain that way until as it's a matter of US national security.

The US government and secret service will do all it can to keep the specifications of Trump's car a secret for as long as possible. Some standard features will remain; bulletproof glass and doors, explosive resistance materials throughout, armoured undercarriage and will have on-board air supply. It will also feature the latest in communications and safety technology.

Below is a tweet of Trump's vehicle undergoing testing earlier in 2016.

10 US Presidential Cadillacs

Cadillac is no stranger to supplying America's presidential candidates with vehicles. Here's a list of 10 cars automaker has supplied to US Heads of State:

1. President Woodrow Wilson was driven in a 1916 Series 53 Cadillac through the streets of Boston during a World War I victory parade in 1919.

2. A lavish 1928 Cadillac Series 341 town car was used by Calvin Coolidge. 

3. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt used a heavily armored 1928 Cadillac Town Sedan that was rumoured to be owned by gangster Al Capone.

4. In 1938, two Cadillac convertibles, dubbed the "Queen Mary" and "Queen Elizabeth," were delivered to the US government. The vehicles were 6.5m long, weighed 3474kg each and were equipped with a small arsenal, two-way radios and heavy-duty generators. The two "Queens" served Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower. 

5. President Eisenhower, a car enthusiast, rode in one of the first Cadillac Eldorado models produced during his 1953 inaugural parade.

Gallery: 2014 Cadillac Escalade limo conversion


6. In 1956, the Queen Mary II and Queen Elizabeth II convertibles replaced the original series, to serve President Eisenhower, and continuing to serve Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. Both vehicles were retired in 1968. 

7. The Ronald W. Reagan administration took delivery of a 1983 Cadillac Fleetwood limousine and a Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham. For security reasons, Presidential vehicles are no longer used outside of official duties.

Image: Cadillac World

8. The Cadillac that debuted for service during the William J. Clinton administration in 1993 marked a new era. Up to this point, Presidential vehicles typically were production cars modified by limousine companies. The 1993 Presidential Brougham was designed, developed and built by Cadillac in a secure process that continues today, with presidential vehicles built in private to exhaustive specifications.

9. A 1983 Cadillac Fleetwood limousine resides at the Ronald W. Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, California, while the 1993 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham is at the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, Arkansas.

10. Obama’s Cadillac Presidential Limousine debuted in front of a massive worldwide audience during President Obama’s inaugural parade on January 20, 2009. The limo incorporates signature design and technical elements from Cadillac production cars, but is exclusively built for its mission. The car’s specifications are known only to the small team that designed it.

A photo posted by Ashlee Bland (@a_bland) on


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