The Presidential State Car By Brenda Williams At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

The Presidential State Car in the United States is the car that carries the President of the United States, his family, his staff and secret service agents. It is the official state car of the President of the United States. The traditional vehicle is a limousine and is the ground version of Air Force One. It is termed Cadillac One. The current vehicle used is a 2005 Cadillac DTS (DeVille Touring Sedan) that is armored to protect the President. The first time this vehicle was used was on January 20, 2005 during the second inauguration of President George W. Bush and the secret service refers to the vehicle as ‘the beast.’

The vehicle’s windows do not open, it is equipped with run flat tires, it is fitted with military grade armor 5 inches thick, and five antennas mounted to the trunk. The inside has a fluorescent light system because the windows are tinted and do not allow much natural light inside. The vehicle can seat seven people, including the President. There is a console mounted communications system in the front of the vehicle. The vehicle, when transported to foreign countries, is airlifted by a United States Air Force C-17 Globemaster III. When the President visits a foreign country, the Presidential flag that flies opposite the United States flag on the front of the car is replaced with the flag of the country he is visiting at the time.

There are similar limousines that are operated by the United States government that help to transport VIP guests, visiting heads of government, and heads of state. When President Elect Barack Obama is inaugurated on January 20, 2009, a new vehicle will be used to transport Obama and his family. It is manufactured by GM and will not have a specific model name. The vehicle will be called the ‘2009 Cadillac Presidential Limousine.’

The Presidential State Car travels in the Presidential Motorcade, which consists of 35 other vehicles, when traveling out of town. The limousine that the President travels in is maintained by the Secret Service while the motorcade support vehicles are maintained by the White House Military Office. In the motorcade there are two Chevrolet Suburbans that the President might also travel in instead of the limousine. Each of the vehicles has the Presidential seals on the sides.

The very first President to travel in an automobile was President William McKinley. The first government owned vehicle was a Stanley Steamer and it was used during President Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency. President William Howard Taft was the first President to use a vehicle that was stored in the White House garage. The first President to ride in a Cadillac was President Woodrow Wilson during a victory parade for World War I. President Warren Harding was the first President to ride in an automobile to his inauguration. The car was a Packard Twin-Six. The Presidential State Car is comparable, for its safety purposes, to the Popemobile. The Popemobile protects the Pope, or the highest living leader of the Catholic Church.

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