Politics

There is no car like the president's armored limo — aka 'The Beast'

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Designed from the ground up by the Secret Service, President Barack Obama's $1.5 million "Cadillac One," aka "The Beast," is a moving fortress impenetrable by bullets and bombs. The president has 12 identical limos in rotation and, when not in use, they're parked in the basement of the Secret Service's headquarters and are under 24-hour surveillance, AutoWeek reports.

At least two cars travel with the president wherever he goes, and they get a humble 3.7 miles to the gallon. The president's motorcade is surrounded with up to 45 other armed vehicles, including an identical decoy, local police, a mobile communications center, more armed vehicles, and an ambulance.

The cars are manufactured by General Motors in Detroit and have a gasoline V8 engine. The top speed and weight of each car is classified, as is the bulletproof technology used in the windows.

Here are more security details:

obama car skitch
Getty/Amanda Macias/Business Insider
obama cabin tires
Getty/Amanda Macias/Business Insider
obama car skitch
AP/Amanda Macias/Business Insider
trunk
AP/Amanda Macias/Business Insider
obama car windows skitch
AP/Amanda Macias/Business Insider
obama car skitch
AP/Amanda Macias/Business Insider
obama car skitch
The White House/Amanda Macias/Business Insider
obama car skitch
The White House/Amanda Macias/Business Insider
obama doors the beast
Reuters/Amanda Macias/Business Insider

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Amanda was formerly a correspondent for Business Insider's military and defense team. Before Business Insider, she worked as a field producer for Reuters in Brussels covering NATO and EU political institutions. Amanda grew up in the US Army and graduated from the University of Missouri-School of Journalism. She lives in Washington, DC, with her spoiled cat, Harlem.Disclosure: Amanda has family who work at Lockheed Martin, a company she regularly covers.