That's Low: Embarassing Beastiality

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

Isn’t the idea of President Barack Obama’s truck-turned-limo that it can get out of a situation real fast? Instead, it caused howls of laughter all over Europe by getting stuck as it emerged from the gates of the US embassy in Dublin.

The low clearance of the car had problems with a little bump at the gate.

According to the BBC, “the US President and First Lady then left by another exit.”

The Secret Service said later it wasn’t the real “Beast” that got stuck. They claimed “it was a spare limo, carrying staff and support personnel.” Traveling in low-riding style.

The Russian news channel RT has a longer version that shows how the view of the car is blocked by a huge grey van before the passengers emerge.


Bertel Schmitt
Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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  • Azmtbkr81 Azmtbkr81 on May 25, 2011

    In fairness GM vehicles are mostly the opposite. Most are all go and no show with boring, pedestrian styling and interiors but are generally reliable and cheap to maintain.

  • DenverMike DenverMike on May 25, 2011

    You can hear the shorter Beemer also bottom-out on the strike plate and although there should be nothing to snag on a Caddy's belly, it could have been flanges on a custom exhaust extension. The front suspension was "up" before the weight got taken off the back.

  • DenverMike DenverMike on May 25, 2011

    Security or the SS definitely got spooked when the limo went "Bang!". Could it have been they thought it was a different type of "Bang!"? Either way, they started to runforit.

  • Michael Free Michael Free on May 26, 2011

    Ah, seems that's the 2005 Centigon-built DTS limo on a 4WD platform. Wiki describes it with some light detail, but it's definitely not the Beast. And that bang is disconcerting. If I had to guess, I'd say there's a crossmember under the driver's seat carrying the transfer case, and it caught on a pavement seam.

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