When a president or vice president takes office in the United States, their lives change immensely. For one thing, they can no longer drive on a public road, an everyday activity that many of them miss while in office. When they are on official business, both in Washington, D.C., and out of town, U.S. presidents ride in an armored Cadillac limousine, built on a medium-duty truck platform and known affectionately as “the Beast.”
Security for top U.S. officials changed forever in November 1963 when President John F. Kennedy was shot while riding in a motorcade in Dallas, Texas.
Hand over the keys, Mr. President:
- Former U.S. President Ronald Reagan drove four-wheel drive Jeeps, with a Secret Service agent in the passenger seat, on his 688-acre ranch in Santa Barbara, California, his home away from the White House.
- President George W. Bush also enjoyed driving around on his ranch in Crawford, Texas -- but never on a public road. His 2009 Ford F-150 King Ranch 4×4 SuperCrew was sold at auction for $300,000 USD in 2014, with the proceeds going to charity.
- In 2012, President Barack Obama drove a plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt around the White House grounds. “That was my big joy ride,” he said on The Tonight Show. “Three times around the South Lawn driveway.”