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M8 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 16 JUNE 2019 MOTORING AIRPORT security can be strict when travelling to differ- ent countries but that's noth- ing compared to the measures in place to keep Donald Trump safe when he goes abroad. The US President jetted into the UK two weeks ago with not only an entourage of se- cret service agents, a pair of helicopters and a fleet of ar- moured SUVs, but also the lat- est version of Cadillac's presi- dential vehicle – nicknamed the Beast. The armoured limousine, which shares some of its looks with Cadillac's CT6 saloon, was specced by the US Secret Service and debuted in 2018 ahead of September's UN As- sembly, the BBC reports. Although the secret service and Cadillac parent firm Gen- eral Motors "have remained tight-lipped about the vehi- cle's special security features", the Beast is clearly more than just a bulletproof four-door saloon, the broadcaster adds. What protection does it offer? No stone has been left un- turned in ensuring the Presi- dent is protected against at- tacks when travelling in the Beast. The car is noticeably taller and wider than a tradi- tional limousine, with protrud- ing pillars around the narrow windows and truck-like wheels. It rides higher than a conven- tional Cadillac saloon, too. According to Metro, the Beast has bulletproof windows that consist of five layers of glass and polycarbonate ele- ments, a key component of materials designed to deflect bullets. Meanwhile, the doors are armour-plated and more than eight inches thick, and weigh the same as those on a Boeing 757. The vehicle's bodywork con- sists of a series of reinforced plates made of steel, alumin- ium, titanium and ceramic. These plates can protect occu- pants from gunfire and bombs, and are also air-tight to pre- vent passengers from being exposed to harmful gases in the event of a chemical attack. Eagle-eyed car fans may no- tice that the tyres are abnor- mally round, with no signs of compression at the base, un- like those on a standard car. That's because the Beast's tyres are both bulletproof and bombproof, so they're clearly made of more than just rubber and air. What else does Trump have at his disposal in the Beast? As you'd expect from a presi- dential vehicle, Trump and his agents have a host of gadgets to use in an emergency. Among the "James Bond- style gimmicks" are a smoke- screen, tear gas and a feature that enables to car to "lay down an oil slick to send vehi- cles chasing it out of control", says NBC News. The doors can also be elec- trified in case someone other than Trump's entourage tries to open them. And in the event of a sudden outbreak of global war, Trump can "dispatch the codes neces- sary to fire nuclear weapons" using the car's "expansive ar- ray of communications tech- nologies", the US broadcaster adds. Other security features in- clude an arsenal of guns, a direct line to the Pentagon, a panic button and an oxygen supply. There's even "bags of the President's Rh-negative blood type on board" in case he needs a transfusion, ac- cording to Metro. How much did the special car cost? A lot, unsurprisingly. NBC News claims that the US gov- ernment and Cadillac spent $15.8m (£12.4m) develop- ing the latest version of the Beast, with each model costing around $1.5m (£1.2m). Given that the secret service typically brings one or two ex- tra vehicles to act as decoys, the cost of these cars alone on a standard presidential trip ex- ceeds $4.5m (£3.5m). The Beast: Donald Trump's Cadillac One presidential car Cadillac One was witing for US president Donal Trump whem he arrived in London on a state visit a few weeks ago