(Castagna Milano)
Think of Presidential state cars, and you’ll probably think of the Cadillac-badged limousine the President Obama uses, a car that many of us know as The Beast.
Now an Italian coach-builder has come up with its own take on the Presidential limousine, in the form of an all-electric stretch limousine based on the humble Fiat 500.
Enter Castagna Milano, and its LimoPresidential, available to discerning buyers (or anyone with the money) as build-to-order vehicles.
Combining two electric motors capable of reaching a top speed of 100 mph, and a battery pack large enough to carry its esteemed occupants in opulent luxury for 160 miles, the all-electric limo is certainly different.
At nearly twice the length of a standard Fiat 500, the all-electric LimoPresidential loses some of the maneuverability of the original. but is probably more agile over uneven ground than President Obama’s armored Cadillac.
Of course, while the hand-built limousine comes in Presidential black, we don’t think it carries the tons of extra reinforcements like bulletproof glass, bomb-proof chassis, run-flat tires and personal oxygen supply fitted as standard in cars like The Beast.
Then again, we’re also pretty sure The Beast costs a little more to drive 160 miles than a few bucks of electricity.
And while the famous Italian coach-builder also offers two civilian limousines based on the same concept -- the LimoCity and the LimoSun -- we aren’t convinced you’ll see many on the streets of New York, Washington D.C., or even Las Vegas.
Why? The limousines are built by the same company that provided a certain deceased African dictator with an all-electric Fiat 500.
And we all know how that turned out.