Meet Obama's 'Beast'

Secret Service says 44's impenetrable vehicle is most sophisticated in the world
By Rebecca Smith Hurd,  Newser User
Posted Jan 20, 2009 4:03 PM CST
Meet Obama's 'Beast'
President-elect Barack Obama and Michelle Obama arrive for church service at St. John's Episcopal Church across from the White House in Washington on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009.   (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

The latest limousine to join the presidential fleet is essentially a tank with a Cadillac exterior, Wired reports. The armored vehicle—code-named “Stagecoach” but dubbed “The Beast” due to its makeup—is the world’s most sophisticated car. The Secret Service and General Motors refuse to divulge specs for Caddy One, which is shuttling President Obama between inaugural appointments today.

“The vehicle’s security enhancements cannot be discussed, [but its] security and coded communications systems make it the most technologically advanced protection vehicle,” a security official said. Observers estimate the diesel-powered car weighs 7 -8 tons, sits on a medium-duty truck chassis, and has military-grade body armor outfitted with ballistic glass windows, a Kevlar floor mat, and a sealed-air system. (More General Motors stories.)

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