Tuesday, May 24, 2011

The (Hopping) Beast

President Obama's Limousine, also known as 'The Beast' or 'Cadillac One' ran aground/beached/got-stuck on a ramp while coming out of the US embassy in Dublin. Read more about 'The Beast' and its capabilities here. The first thing that came to my mind when I watched this news was that President Obama now has a really good reason to get his car fitted with a Hydraulic Lift Kit, or in other words, get the presidential limo tricked out like a low-rider. If you have ever ridden a public transportation bus in a major US metropolis, you've seen the Hydraulic Lift at work - remember when the front of the bus lowers right before the front exit door opens to let the passengers in/out. So, it'll be easier for the presidential limousine to go over humps easily. To see what else a Hydraulic Lift Kit can do for a car, see for yourself:



Somehow I am just not able to get the image, President Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sitting in the limo trying to talk while it is hopping down Constitution Avenue in Washington D.C., out of my head.

The major issue I see with it is the weight of all the steel that has gone into making this car such a beast. So the hydraulic lifters will have to be really powerful. But, if any car can handle such heavy duty piston assembly and batteries it is this one. Moreover, lets make the folks at GM earn their money - afterall they were able to weather 'Chapter 11 Reorganization' (legalese for declaring bankruptcy) with the backing of The White House! Not to mention the "boost" this will give to the custom car industry ;-).

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