President Clinton will be the first U.S. president ever to use a hybrid outfitted for presidential service thanks to Ford, who will be presenting our 42nd president with a Mercury Mariner Hybrid "Presidential Edition" at the Clinton Global Initiative conference later this month in New York City. The Mariner Hybrid has been modified to include LED interior lighting, a 110-volt outlet and a writing table. Everything else on the vehicle, including the hybrid powertrain that delivers 32 mpg in the city, is supposedly stock.
We say supposedly because most presidential vehicles are heavily modified with armor and other technologies to thwart assassination attempts. The LED interior lighting installed in Clinton's Mariner Hybrid suggests the window glass is either heavily tinted for privacy or has been replaced with a transparent armor similar to the kind used on President Bush's armored Cadillac DTS limo that's so thick it blocks natural sunlight.
Speaking of presidential vehicles, did you know that the presidential motorcade is typically 35 cars long? A lot of gas could be saved by switching that fleet over to a next generation powertrain. Follow the jump to see what vehicles follow the president when he's out on the town and in what order.
[Source: Ford]
(via Wikipedia) Since 2001, when the President travels out-of-town, his motorcade consists of about 35 vehicles. Listed here is the approximate order of a typical presidential motorcade, and indicates the vehicle number, occupants and purpose:
- Car #1: Local police car (maintains integrity of motorcade)
- Car #2: Local police car (maintains integrity of motorcade)
- Car #3: Marked police car (bomb sweep)
- Car #4: Route Car, marked police car (intersection control)
- Car #5: Pilot Car, marked police car (coordinator)
- Car #6: Lead Car, marked police car (command police personnel)
- Car #7: Lead SUV (Secret Service)
- Car #8: Lead SUV (Secret Service)
- Car #9: Lead SUV (Secret Service)
- Car #10: Armored Limo, Spare Limo (Secret Service)
- Car #11: Armored Limo, The President and First Family (Secret Service)
- Car #12: Follow-Up SUV (Secret Service)
- Car #13: Follow-Up SUV (Secret Service)
- Car #14: Follow-Up SUV (Secret Service)
- Car #15: Control Car (staff personnel)
- Car #16: Swat Car (Secret Service Swat Team)
- Car #17: Support Vehicle (staff personnel)
- Car #18: Staff 1 (staff personnel)
- Car #19: Staff 2 (staff personnel)
- Car #20: Staff 3 (staff personnel)
- Car #21: ID Car (ID team, Secret Service)
- Car #22: White House Personnel (staff personnel)
- Car #23: Camera 1 (photographers)
- Car #24: Wire 1 (writing press)
- Car #25: Camera 2 (photographers)
- Car #26: Camera 3 (photographers)
- Car #27: Camera 4 (photographers)
- Car #28: Press Pool Van (press pool staff)
- Car #29: Press Van (press staff)
- Car #30: Guest Van (VIP guest, staff)
- Car #31: Swat Car (local police SWAT)
- Car #32: Ambulance (Fire Department personnel)
- Car #33: Press Bus (press staff)
- Car #34: Local Police Car (maintains integrity of motorcade)
- Car #35: Local Police Car (maintains integrity of motorcade)
BREAKING: GM and Chrysler talking about merger
Spy Shots: Nissan 370Z again, with interior shots
2010 Mazda3 unveiled ahead of LA Auto Show
Spy Shots: Nissan 370Z caught undisguised
GM on Corvette ZR1 cancellation rumor: "Not true."
Knight Rider: The Liveblog -- Season 1, Episode 3
In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 Mazda RX-8 R3, return of the "hummer"
In the Autoblog Garage: 2008 Chevy Corvette Z06
Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy
Paris 2008: Le Day 1 Wrapup
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Hernan @ Sep 7th 2006 5:08PM
God damn 22nd amendment.
Bush will probably get a Hummer limo that runs on solient gree.
rwdmtparkingonly @ Sep 7th 2006 5:20PM
I think that is part of his Social Security reform package. At least good 'ol Bill can show support for US owned automakers.
JC Whitless @ Sep 7th 2006 5:20PM
Actually, I thought Clinton would have asked for the Hummer....
/zing
//pow
///tip your waitresses
Ryan @ Sep 7th 2006 5:23PM
#1
What do presidential term limits have to do with anything?
Ryan @ Sep 7th 2006 5:25PM
"3. Actually, I thought Clinton would have asked for the Hummer...."
-LMAO
-Yeah, good ol' Bill could never refuse a good hummer! :-)
rwdmtparkingonly @ Sep 7th 2006 5:28PM
The glass is heavily tinted for privacy.
Hernan @ Sep 7th 2006 5:47PM
#4 The world would be a better place if Clinton were still president. He ended his administration with higher approval ratings than Reagan.
The world would be a better place if Newt had not killed the 1996 Omnibus Anti-terror bill also, but hey, what is the worst that could happen...
felonious.monk @ Sep 7th 2006 5:49PM
Does it have armor? Don't see how it can have armor and still get 30+ mpg.
Bush's limo: runs on an alternative fuel distilled from the blood of our inner city kids serving in the military.
Ryan @ Sep 7th 2006 5:54PM
"Bush's limo: runs on an alternative fuel distilled from the blood of our inner city kids serving in the military."
-Would that slogan be "live dead go red"
Carlton @ Sep 7th 2006 6:34PM
Great. A Mercury Mariner that'll have astro turf in the back.
Monica, isn't that astro turf a little rough on your backside?
Illan @ Sep 7th 2006 6:39PM
GEE i didnt know William "Bill" Clinton was still on the Oval Office...donty you Guys mean George Walker Bush???
felonious.monk @ Sep 7th 2006 6:50PM
#9: LOL. Good one.
#10: Monica?? Just thawed off of deep freeze? C'mon, how old is she now? The "big one" as she called him have surely moved on to greener (younger) turf. Mmmm... turf.
#11: You're either not from the U.S. or need a refresher on the constitution. Once a president, always a president. The difference between them all: there can only be one idiot in the white house.
G. Snyder @ Sep 7th 2006 6:54PM
"#4 The world would be a better place if Clinton were still president. He ended his administration with higher approval ratings than Reagan.
The world would be a better place if Newt had not killed the 1996 Omnibus Anti-terror bill also, but hey, what is the worst that could happen..."
This is drivel.
Mal Fuller @ Sep 7th 2006 6:58PM
I hear it's equipped with a jump seat for Monica!
Just the same, the Clinton years were better for our country than the fine mess we're in now.
Ryan @ Sep 7th 2006 7:05PM
"15. I hear it's equipped with a jump seat for Monica!"
-Don't forget that fine honey of a woman Paula Jones.
uhhhhcuk, Hillary, Paula, Monica, he sure does like the "blow job bettys"
Whydrive @ Sep 7th 2006 7:08PM
Yeah, if only we didn't get involved in WWII, everything would be so much better now. We should've sat down and negotiated with the Japanese and the Germans. What was FDR thinking - taking us into war.
felonious.monk @ Sep 7th 2006 7:22PM
#17, what the fuck does WWII have anything to do what what you're responding to? The other post may have been drivel, yours is total hog shit.
Driving the country into deep debt, putting your job and future in jeopardy, making the rich much richer (widenning the gap between the classes), and scarificing the lives of young Americans for the sake of a population who hates us no matter what and will end up in civil war anyway is the right thing to do for you?
Okay. Let's see you enlist and head for Iraq then.
DUMBASS.
James @ Sep 7th 2006 7:30PM
Dear Hernan and Ryan - Does it hurt to be so damn stupid you really believe your own dribble? Try to keep your comments relevant. Remember, it is better to be thought a fool rather than open your mouth and remove all doubt.
To stay relevant - It's great that Clinton is doing a Mariner (How do you Mariner's feel about that?).
The other Bob @ Sep 7th 2006 8:01PM
At least Clinton will be driving a Mariner made in Kansas while that dipshit Gore is driving a Lexus Hybrid made in Japan. The Dumbass.
(And yes, I am a Democrat)
Bill @ Sep 7th 2006 8:53PM
Regarding the bulletproof glass...
I don't think former presidents get that level of protection. I don't even think they get that many agents around them, just 1 24/7 I think, and their spouses are entitled for life, and their children until age 16.
Congress changed the laws regarding Secret Service protection, and the law now is that former presidents only get protection for 10 years after they are out of office. I think the law was effective starting with the Pres in office as of 1997, so Clinton is the last president that will get liftime protection.
I know an agent, so I'll ask him about the glass :-)