Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Limo One (The Beast)


What do you think of President Obama's new ride? Check it out!

Various websites have given descriptions and pictures of the newest presidential transportation device. Check them out for yourself for more info:
http://jalopnik.com/5131380/obamas-new-cadillac-limo-officially-unveiled?skyline=true&s=x

http://blog.wired.com/cars/2009/01/obama-rolls-a-s.html

But what I found the most interesting was this blurb and clip from http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2009/01/obamas-presiden.html

Of course there's tons of speculation surrounding his new limo. But here are educated and informed guesses from security experts that I believe are exactly right or probably under-estimat

ed.

GM says the car occupies the "same footprint " as the current presidential ride, but it is a little taller and the windows a little bigger to improve visibility. Limo One is believed to weigh between seven and eight tons, and spy shots suggest it rides on a GM medium-duty truck chassis propelled by a diesel engine. The body is sheathed in military-grade armor as much as 8 inches thick on the doors (each of which weighs as much as the cabin door on a Boeing 747, Motor Authority says). The armor reportedly is a mix of dual-hardness steel, aluminum, titanium and ceramic. The windows are ballistic glass said to be 5 inches thick, and Dan Neil of the Los Angeles Times says there's probably a woven Kevlar mat covering the floorboard to protect the car from blasts. The cabin is believed to feature a sealed air recirculation system to protect its occupants from chemical attacks. Oh and the tires are also 5 inches thick as well.