Donald Trump isn't just about to be handed the keys to the White House but also a set for a brand new presidential Cadillac, dubbed The Beast. As the president of the United States, Trump’s security status will be catapulted to a new extreme – which is why he’ll be driven around in one of the safest cars on the planet. But Trump isn’t the only head of state with a peculiar set of wheels – as leaders of other countries have made headlines over the years for owning or driving all manner of vehicles. To show what Trump has to compete with, Auto Express has compiled this list of political vehicles.
Theresa May – Prime Minister of the UK
Jaguar XJ ‘The Sentinel’
Trump's election win wasn’t the only political whirlwind of 2016. With the UK opting to leave the EU, David Cameron quickly resigned as PM and was replaced by Theresa May. With a move to No. 10, May was also given the keys to the Prime Minister’s car. She’ll now be driven around in an armoured 5.0-litre supercharged V8 Jaguar XJ, called the Sentinel. Thanks to hardened steel armour, the car is capable of withstanding a blast equivalent to 15kg of TNT. Despite its armour, the Sentinel hasn’t escaped injuries with the roadside infrastructure – it was famously dented by a kerb in Salford, London.
Jose Mujica – Former President of Uruguay
1987 VW Beetle
If there was ever an antithesis to Trump’s lavish lifestyle, it’d be that of former Uruguayan president Jose Mujica. When sworn into office in 2010, the man dubbed as the ‘poorest president in the world’ proclaimed his entire wealth amounted to his 1987 VW Beetle – he owned nothing else in his name. Stepping down in 2015, Mujica achieved cult status through his modest living in a ramshackle farm, donating 90 per cent of his salary away and promoting progressive social policies in Uruguay. Throughout the five years, the Beetle remained with Mujica who was often seen driving it. He’s since been offered $1 million for the car.
Charles De Gaulle – Former President of France
Citroen DS
On 22 August 1962, France’s president Charles De Gaulle and his wife were riding in the back of a Citroen DS when 12 armed gunmen opened fire and shot 140 bullets at the black Citroen DS in protest of France granting Algeria its independence. De Gaulle’s life was saved by the Citroen’s innovative self-levelling hydro-pneumatic suspension that stabilised the car and allowed the punctured wheels to maintain contact with the road and prevent the car from skidding. After the assassination attempt, De Gaulle had a newfound admiration for Citroen, and when in 1969 Fiat attempted to buy the French manufacturer, De Gaulle insisted the brand would stay under majority French ownership.
Muammar Gaddafi – Former ruler of Libya
Libyan Rocket & custom Fiat 500
Back in 2009 the former leader of Libya announced that he had designed his own car called the Libyan Rocket. Colonel Gaddafi’s creation was dubbed by his ministers as “the safest car in the world”. It came with collapsible bumpers and was designed to look like an aerodynamic rocket. The car was set for production in Tripoli, but plans fell apart following Gaddafi’s ousting in 2011. After the Libyan crisis in the same year, Gaddafi was showed to have owned a custom Fiat 500 reportedly worth £175,000. It featured an electric engine and the Fiat symbol was replaced by a black map of Africa with Libya singled out in green.
Hassanal Bolkiah – Sultan of Brunei
Golden Rolls-Royce
Modesty isn’t something familiar to the royal family in the small, oil-rich nation of Brunei. The monarchy of the tiny state of Borneo has been estimated to own in anywhere in between 2,500 to 7,000 cars. The Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah holds the current Guinnes World Record for the largest collection of Rolls-Royce cars, estimated at around 500. His collection includes this Silver Spur covered in 24 karat gold, as well as a Formula One car collection dating back to the 1980s. The Sultan is also an owner of a 747 that he’s known to pilot himself.
Teodorin Obiang Nguema – Vice President of Equatorial Guinea
Ferrari F12 tdf
Like Brunei, the ruling family of Equatorial Guinea has benefitted from vast oil resources. Its president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema is Africa’s longest-serving leader, having seized power in 1979. He recently promoted his son, Teodorin Obiang, to vice president of the country. Obiang Junior, however, has been linked with corruption and embezzlement crimes and is now facing trial in France. As a result of the criminal implications, Swiss authorities seized 11 of his cars in total, which included a Bugatti Veyron, a Maserati MC12 and four Ferraris.
Barack Obama - 44th President of the US
2009 Cadillac Presidential Limousine
This is the car that took Barack Obama to and from his 2009 inaugaration and was to become a regular conveyance for the 44th US President on trips accross the globe. The bullet-and bomb-proof bodywork has 130mm thick glass with only the driver's window capable of opening - so the driver can pay tolls.
Ronald Regan - 40th President of the US
1984 Cadillac Fleetwood Seventy Five
Ronald Reagan was another US President who favoured a Cadillac. This is his 1984 Cadillac Fleetwood Seventy Five Presidential Limousine, a forerunner of the bulletproof beasts that Obama and Trump are transported in. The 4-door car was rear-wheel drive with a 6.0-litre V8 engine mustering a modest 140hp. That certainly doesn’t should like a lot of thrust to shift this 6,205mm long, 2,161kg limo.
Dwight D. Eisenhower - 34th President of the US
1953 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible
This is US President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who is said to have been a keen car enthusiast, enjoying his inauguration on January 20 1953. The car is a 1953 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible, the first generation of this noble model line that would go on to have ten generations, with the last Eldorado Convertible going out of production in 2002. Needless to say, the Mk10 didn't have the panache of Dwight D's wheels.
Harry S. Truman - 33rd President of the US
Cadillac Fleetwood Series 75 Limousine
Cadillac has a long history of providing president's cars. Harry S. Truman, who preceded Eisenhower, had a Fleetwood 75 limo, and this 1947 third-generation model had a beefy V8 and and oodles of chrome on the grille. Truman took over from Franklin D. Roosevelt on April 12th, 1945, but stormed to victory in the 1948 election despite being the underdog.
Thinking of becoming a dictator?
Mercedes-Benz Grosser 600
So, you’ve just overthrown a government in a ‘peaceful coup’ and are thinking of what car to buy – history would suggest it’d be the Mercedes-Benz Grosser 600. Honourable owners of the 6.3-litre V8 limousine include the likes of Tito, Nicolae Ceausescu, Pol Pot, Leonid Brezhnev, Idi Amin, Fidel Castro, as well as North Korean leaders Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un. The cult status of the 600 meant it was also the vehicle of choice of Bond-villain Ernst Stavro Blofield – the evil man stroking a white cat.
Which Presidential car is your favourite? And are there any good ones we've missed? Join the debate in the comments section below...