2005 Cadillac DTS Presidential State Car (United States)
Encyclopedia
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
during his administration. Analogous to the President's use of an airplane designated Air Force One
Air Force One
Air Force One is the official air traffic control call sign of any United States Air Force aircraft carrying the President of the United States. In common parlance the term refers to those Air Force aircraft whose primary mission is to transport the president; however, any U.S. Air Force aircraft...
, the automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
—traditionally a limousine
Limousine
A limousine is a luxury sedan or saloon car, especially one with a lengthened wheelbase or driven by a chauffeur. The chassis of a limousine may have been extended by the manufacturer or by an independent coachbuilder. These are called "stretch" limousines and are traditionally black or white....
—is informally known as "Cadillac One". The limousine model was replaced on January 20, 2009, upon the inauguration of President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, although both models are still in use.
Specifications and capabilities
Cadillac DTS
The Cadillac DTS is a full-size luxury sedan produced by General Motors, an American automobile company. The DTS replaced the Cadillac DeVille as General Motors' largest luxury car for the 2006 model year...
sedan built on a GM
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4×4 is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
platform. The vehicle was custom built by Centigon
Centigon
Centigon is today a division of the Carat Security Group but it traces its roots back to coach builders O'Gara-Hess and Eisenhardt and Sayers & Scovill....
(formerly O'Gara, Hess & Eisenhardt). It was first used on January 20, 2005, during the second inauguration parade of George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
.
Most details of the car are classified for security reasons. The vehicle is one of a kind. It sports a tall roofline, an all-wheel drive set up based on that of the Cadillac Escalade, red and blue emergency lights built into the front grille, and is fitted with red strobe lights in the headlights and rear brake lights. The standard door handles have been replaced by those of a more loop design. The vehicle is completely fitted with military grade armor 5 inches thick for maximum protection. The windows do not open, the wheels are fitted with run flat tires, and five antennas are mounted on the trunk lid. Due to the thickness of the glass, much natural light is excluded, so a fluorescent halo lighting system in the headliner is essential.
The car can seat seven people, including the president. The front seats two, and includes a console-mounted communications center. A glass partition divides the front from back. Three rear-facing seats are in the back, with cushions that are able to fold over the partition. The two rear seats are reserved for the president and another passenger; these seats have the ability to recline individually. A folding desk is between the two rear seats. Storage compartments in the interior panels of the car contain communications equipment.
Use, 2005–2009
On domestic trips, Cadillac One displays the AmericanFlag of the United States
The national flag of the United States of America consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars alternating with rows...
and presidential standard, which are illuminated by directional flood lights
High-intensity discharge lamp
High-intensity discharge lamps are a type of electrical lamp which produces light by means of an electric arc between tungsten electrodes housed inside a translucent or transparent fused quartz or fused alumina arc tube. This tube is filled with both gas and metal salts. The gas facilitates the...
mounted on the hood. The limousine is airlifted for domestic and international use primarily by a U.S. Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
C-17 Globemaster III
C-17 Globemaster III
The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft. Developed for the United States Air Force from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas, the C-17 is used for rapid strategic airlift of troops and cargo to main operating bases or forward operating bases throughout...
. When the President performs a state visit
State visit
A state visit is a formal visit by a foreign head of state to another nation, at the invitation of that nation's head of state. State visits are the highest form of diplomatic contact between two nations, and are marked by ceremonial pomp and diplomatic protocol. In parliamentary democracies, heads...
to a foreign country, the presidential standard is replaced by the foreign country's flag.
On 23 May 2011, the 2005 model presidential state car was involved in an incident when it got stuck on a ramp as it exited the U.S. Embassy, Dublin, Ireland, during an official visit by President Obama. It is understood that the wheelbase
Wheelbase
In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels.- Road :In automobiles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the center of the front wheel and the center of the rear wheel...
of the vehicle was too great for the ramp and it had to be towed off the ramp as a large crowd looked on.
Replacement
On January 6, 2009, it was announced that a new, model year 2009, modified Cadillac would be used during the January 20, 2009 inauguration of Barack Obama. The model was replaced by the "2009 Cadillac Presidential Limousine" on that day. Both cars remain in the presidential fleet, however, and serve as backups or replacements to the primary vehicle.See also
- Presidential State Car (United States)
- Official state carOfficial state carAn official state car is a car used by a government to transport its head of state in an official capacity, which may also be used occasionally to transport other members of the government or visiting dignitaries from other countries. On a state visit, the official state car might be transported...
- Sunshine Special (Presidential State Car)
- PopemobilePopemobilePopemobile is an informal name for the specially designed motor vehicles used by the pope during outdoor public appearances without having to employ the antiquated and often impractical sedia gestatoria. The Popemobile was designed to allow the pope to be more visible when greeting large crowds...