Obama said goodbye to his Chrysler 300 and upgraded. --- The Presidential State Car is the official state car used by the President of the United States. Analogous to the President's use of an airplane designated Air Force One, the automobile— traditionally a limousine—is informally known as "Cadillac One".
(Note: Although the license plate reads: USA 1). On January 6, 2009, it was announced that a new, model year 2009, modified Cadillac will be used during the January 20, 2009 inauguration of Barack Obama. According to GM, the new "2009 Cadillac Presidential Limousine" is the first not to carry a specific model name. The Secret Service refers to the heavily-armored vehicle as "the beast". Most details of the car are classified for security reasons. It sports a tall roofline, an all-wheel drive set up based on that of the Cadillac Escalade, red and blue emergency lights built into the front grille, and is fitted with red strobe lights in the headlights and rear brake lights. The standard door handles have been replaced by those of a more loop design. The vehicle is completely fitted with military grade armor 5 inches thick for maximum protection. The windows do not open, the wheels are fitted with run flat tires, and five antennas are mounted on the trunk lid. Due to the thickness of the glass, much natural light is excluded, so a fluorescent halo lighting system in the headliner is essential. The car can seat seven people, including the president. The front seats two, and includes a console-mounted communications center. A glass partition divides the front from back. Three rear facing seats are in the back, with cushions that are able to fold over the partition. The two rear seats are reserved for the president and another passenger; these seats have the ability to recline individually. A folding desk is between the two rear seats. Storage compartments in the interior panels of the car contain communications equipment. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidential_State_Car_(United_States) --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
