Armored cars have been a standard staple for Cadillac since the age of the semi-automatic weapon.

Here are just a few pictures. Please remember that the best armored car is a car that doesn't look like one. Advertizing that you have an armored car is the worst security situation you can create. For these reasons armored cars are rarely photographed and their history is often lost forever when the vehicles are retired.

1924

1925

1961 "The Presidential Continental"
President Kennedy's Lincoln Continental Limousine Note: Not a Cadillac

Built by armored coachbuilder Hess & Eisenhardt, this Open-Air Design is the
car Kennedy was assassinated in. The Secret Service dubbed it as S.S X-100.

1964 - Presidential

1975 - Presidential Fleetwood

1979

1979 (See hand holds for Secret Service)

1983

1984

1984 - Presidential Series 75 Limousines

1984 (See hand holds for Secret Service)

1986 - Presidential Prototype (front)

1986 - Presidential Prototype (rear)

1987

1993 - Presidential Fleetwood Brougham "Presidential Series" (front)

1993 - Presidential Fleetwood Brougham "Presidential Series" (rear)

1993

2001

Bert Sellers with his GM Advanced Engineering Staff
Click here for press release

For Release 2:30 p.m. EST, JAN. 6th, 1993

Cadillac Presidential Limousine

WASHINGTON, DC - The newest Presidential Limousine, the first to be derived from the all-new Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham, has been delivered to the United States Secret Service. It is the first of three identical Presidential Linousines built for the President and his family.

Its Cadillac predecessor was presented to President Ronald Reagan in 1984.

The 1993 Presidential Limousine features a special chassis and powertrain designed and built by Cadillac in cooperation with GM's Advanced Engineering staff. GM's Cadillac Design Studio developed the body's interior and exterior design while the body structure and special armoring systems were designed by Cadillac Engineering and built by GM's Part Fabrication.

Under Secret Service supervision, all facets of the design, developement and manufacture of the limousine were completed totally within General Motors.

"Cadillac has a tradition of providing transportation for this nation's presidents. We are very pleased to have been accorded this honor once again," says John 0. Grettenberger, general manager of the Cadillac Motor Car Division. "It demonstrates a real team effort on the part of General Motors."

He adds that the dramatic new aerodynamic styling of the Fleetwood Brougham as well as its strong association with special vehicles made it an ideal choice for the conversion to the Presidential fleet.

The roof of the Presidential Limousine is three inches taller than the production Fleetwood Brougham in order to provide a distinctively large glass area so that the President is visible to the greatest extent possible during parades and ceremonial occasions.

The Limousine features a black clearcoat exterior paint finish with a dark blue cloth and leather combination interior. There are Zebrano wood accents in both the driver's compartment and the rear compartment. Embroidered Presidential seals are affixed to each rear passenger door as well as to the center of the rear seat.

The total length of 270 inches and wheelbase of 167.5 inches compares to the 225.1-inch long and 121.5-inch wheelbase of the Fleetwood Brougham built at the Arlington Assembly Plant in Arlington, Texas. There is seating for six persons in the rear compartment when three flush folding seats are utilized.

The front-wheel track (wheel-to-wheel) is 63.3 inches wide while the rear wheel track is 62.2 inches wide. Because of the increased weight, the new Presidential Limousine is equipped with oversize wheels and tires and a special power brake system.

GM's Powertrain Division built the vehicle's V-8 engine and four-speed automatic transmission. The powerplant uses regular -unleaded gasoline.

This new Cadillac Presidential Limousine has many special features, including:

- A public address system and telephone as part of a special communications system.

- Custom engine monitoring gauges built by Delco Electronics and mounted in the instrument panel next to the standard Cadillac instrument cluster.

- Separate heating and air conditioning units for the front and rear compartments. Each system is individually controlled.

- A special partition to separate the driver from the rear seat passengers. A power window in the partition can be lowered by the front seat occupants.

- Separate front and rear Delco AM-FM stereo cassette entertainment systems with premium two-way speakers -- eight speakers in the rear and four in the front.

- Special 12-volt fluorescent halo lighting developed by GM's Inland Fisher Guide Division.

- A rear overhead console which houses the stereo entertainment system and the climate control.

- Front and rear custom cloth/leather combination seating areas designed and built by Inland Fisher Guide's Seat Fabrication Center.

The fenders are fitted with flag standards. When the President is riding in the limousine, the United States flag is flown from the right front fender and the President's Standard is flown from the left front fender. Two flush-mounted spotlights are located in the fender to illuminate the flags at night. The three limousines are titled "Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham - Presidential Series."

For Release: January 20, 2001

Cadillac Writes History With "New Millennium” Limousine

WASHINGTON – On January 20, a jet-black, state-of-the-art Cadillac limousine will roll through the nation’s capital during the Presidential Inaugural Parade. This remarkable vehicle is the latest accomplishment from Cadillac and the first chief executive limousine of the new millennium. It is also the first Cadillac to carry the division's new wreath and crest emblem.

The newly elected president will be the first to travel in the Cadillac limousine, which shares the same exterior design with 2001 DeVille production models.

The sight of the president waving from a Cadillac has become a tradition in Americana. “It is a great honor for Cadillac and GM to be associated with the highest office of the United States and to serve our country in this way,” says Cadillac General Manager Michael J. O’Malley. “In fact, Cadillac has been building limousines and special vehicles for U.S. presidents, diplomats, ambassadors and foreign dignitaries since the early 1900s.”

One of the first chief executives to ride in a Cadillac was President Woodrow Wilson, who rode through the streets of Boston during a World War I victory parade. A lavish 1928 Cadillac town car was used extensively throughout the Coolidge Administration.

In 1938, two Cadillac convertibles dubbed the “Queen Mary” and “Queen Elizabeth” were delivered to the U.S. Government. Named after the great ocean liners of the time, the 21 ½ feet, 7,660 pound vehicles were equipped with a full ammunition arsenal, two way radios, and heavy duty generators. Durable and reliable, the two “Queens” served Presidents Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower.

President Eisenhower, who was known as “car buff,” had ridden in one of the first Eldorados during the 1953 Inauguration Day Parade. The vehicle was unique as it had the first wrap around windshield, which quickly became a standard in domestic and foreign automobiles.

In 1956, the Queen Mary II and Queen Elizabeth II convertibles replaced the original series. The vehicles were 21 feet long and weighed 7,000 pounds. Like their predecessors, these vehicles were fully armored with state-of-the art communications at that time. Moreover, the vehicles were fitted with narrow rims inside the tire in case the tires were shot out. The Queen Mary II and Queen Elizabeth II served not only President Eisenhower, but also Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. Both vehicles were retired in 1968.

The predecessor to the current limousine was the Fleetwood Brougham – Presidential Series delivered to the Clinton Administration in 1993. Unlike previous models, the Presidential Brougham was designed, developed and manufactured totally within General Motors. Moreover, the vehicle was designed to provide unquestionable protection. Minimizing exposure to external threats, no sunroof or running boards were installed on the vehicle. The vehicle is still in service today and will be used in the upcoming Inaugural Parade.

The new 2001 Cadillac Limousine is the finest and most technologically advanced vehicle ever constructed. General Motors President and CEO Rick Wagoner said, “Cadillac is proud to write this latest chapter in American automotive history with the introduction of this new presidential limousine. We are pleased that our historic relationship with the U.S. government and chief executive office will continue into the new millennium.”

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