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Hail to The Beast: The story of the Presidential limo

The 21.5-foot, 7,660-pound vehicle was equipped with a full ammunition arsenal, two-way radios, and heavy-duty generators

Detroit—As the nation marks the inauguration of Donald J. Trump as the 47th President of the United States, it’s a good opportunity to take note of one of the Presidential limousine. Known as “The Beast,” the President’s limo is a custom-built vehicle.

In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson rode in a Series 53 1916 Cadillac limousine during a parade in Boston to celebrate the end of World War I.

Two Cadillac convertibles, the “Queen Mary” and “Queen Elizabeth,” named after the ocean liners, served Presidents Roosevelt, Truman, and Eisenhower. First used in 1938, the 21.5-foot, 7,660-pound vehicles were equipped with a full ammunition arsenal, two-way radios, and heavy-duty generators.

Cadillacs were also used to transport Presidents Reagan (a Fleetwood) and Clinton (a Fleetwood Brougham.)

The term “The Beast” was first used in 2001, in reference to the limo used by President George W. Bush. Unlike its predecessors, this one was custom-built, designed and engineered by a research and development team at General Motors. GM designed the vehicle to the exacting standards of the U.S. Secret Service, while maintaining signature design cues from the Cadillac DeVille.

A re-engineered version of the Beast, code-named “Cadillac One,” and featuring design cues from the Cadillac DTS, debuted in 2009 to transport President Obama. The current version, modeled after the Cadillac CT6, debuted in 2018 during a trip by President Trump to New York City.

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