Trump-Putin on board the 'Beast', the US president's car. A bunker on four wheels: here's why

Inevitably, in the context of the approximately three-hour meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska on the crisis in Ukraine, the attention of the international media rested (also) on her: 'the Beast', i.e. the US president's car. After getting off their respective planes, Trump welcomed his guest at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on the northern outskirts of Anchorage. And he did so on a red carpet. Then the two shook hands, had a brief conversation, and climbed into the same car, 'the Beast' in fact, to drive the short distance from the military base to the official meeting place. Ten minutes of real face-to-face time in which the two leaders were completely alone, without even translators. Just the driver and a security agent.

The gesture was interpreted by Russian TV as a clear sign of détente and a desire to talk to each other. Putin's car, the Aurus (Russian-made despite the Kremlin leader's past fondness for German cars) had arrived early at the base serving the Moscow leader.

The car used by the President of the United States is not a car like any other. It looks more like a bunker on four wheels. The name 'Cadillac One', which refers to the luxury car manufacturer, one of the most iconic brands in the US, should not mislead. It is indeed a special armoured limousine custom-built by Cadillac (General Motors) for the Secret Service, but on seeing it, the elegance of the design takes second place. What is striking is the vehicle's impressiveness. That is why it is also known as 'The Beast' or 'First Car'. For a start, it can withstand a chemical attack, a fire assault, and a landmine thanks to armour plating more than 20 centimetres thick. Thanks to its reinforced chassis, which makes it weigh around 8.5 tonnes, The Beast will not tip over in the event of a ramming. It is also equipped with a sophisticated night vision system that allows the driver to drive at full speed even with the headlights off and in the middle of the night.

The windows are made up of five layers 13 centimetres thick and it is not possible to open them except for the driver's window, which is only 8 centimetres wide. The Beast is fitted with a 6,600 cc 6-cylinder turbo diesel engine, but because of its weight it can reach a top speed of 100 km/h while consuming 1 litre of diesel every 500 metres. The fuel tank is of course explosion-proof, made of a special material coated with fireproof foam.

Among the various safety systems, the Cadillac One has electrified handles and various types of gas and smoke grenades that can be fired all around the car. It has special rocket-proof tyres and, if that were not enough, the rims are constructed in such a way that even if the tyres were completely unusable, the driver would still be able to continue driving, a more advanced technology than the run-flats currently in production.