U.S. Secret Service Solicits Proposals to Replace "The Beast" With New Presidential Limo
The United States Secret Service has started the process to begin to build the next generation presidential limousine with the posting of a contract proposal on the FedBizOpps.gov site for companies seeking to do business with the federal government. The contract will be awarded by the Dept. of Homeland Security by August 29th of this year and the new armored limo, no doubt equipped with the latest and highest tech communications and security gizmos, is planned to go into service in 2017, after Mr. Obama’s replacement takes office.
Reagan era presidential limousine.
According to the proposal, the award “will be made based on best value to the government,” and will be “restricted to Major Domestic U.S Automobile Manufacturers, who have their primary headquarters located in the United States of America.”
The limousine used by President Kennedy in Dallas, rebuilt for use by LBJ
There are four phases to the project and Phase 1, armor development, has already gotten underway. “Phase 2 work will include integration of the armor design developed during Phase 1 of the program. Phase 2 requirements will include selection and integration of final automotive components, chassis, interior, exterior, and test vehicle fabrication and automotive component testing. Phase 3 will be focused on automotive validation and Phase 4 production of vehicles,” said the proposal.
President Eisenhower’s bubble topped Lincoln limo
A variety of manufacturers have supplied limousines to the U.S. president. General Motors has provided Cadillac branded vehicles for the past three decades, though Lincolns carried chief executives from John Kennedy through Ronald Reagan.
FDR’s Lincoln
Whilen the medium truck based “Cadillac” nicknamed “The Beast” that President Obama uses for state occasions is better known, he also frequently travels in what is probably an equally well-armored Chevy Suburban.
For you brougham enthusiasts, a real brougham used by Pres. Teddy Roosevelt
Sources: U.S. General Services Administration, Detroit News. Presidential limos photographed at the Henry Ford Museum.
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There's no point in saying 'what's wrong with the old one (the beast)' because the problem isn't the limo per se, but the fact that the threats change regularly. Not only that, but its ease of transport and practicality in other locations besides Washington D.C. are very important. The unfortunate part for car people is that the Presidential Limos will be destroyed once de-commissioned for security reasons.
There have been questions about what happens to presidential limousines no longer used by the president. I don't think they're scrapped. I believe they are passed down to assignments with lower security concerns until they are totally obsolete. There was a comment about the Beast being used only around Washington. In fact a Beast is flown ahead of the President when he travels. That's partly why there are more than one of them. I've seen estimates up to 12 of them. Someone said the only stock Cadillac component was the crest on the grille. From Wikipedia: "Many body components are sourced from a variety of Cadillac vehicles; for example, the car uses Cadillac Escalade headlights, side mirrors and door handles. The tail of the car seems to use the taillights and back up lights from the Cadillac STS sedan." Given the scale of the thing, the crest itself must be larger than the ones Cadillac uses. As for active defensive systems, I'd guess it has sensors to detect incoming missiles etc., and probably has those chaff/flare things to divert heat-seeking weapons. And I'm not an American and don't live in the US.