Obama Gets A Hybrid Cadillac Limo

Saw this in the Christian Science Monitor, and thought I'd pass it along even though doing so makes me afraid that every soccer mom in America will now think they need one of these to keep their kids safe. (And if you're wondering, the "hybrid" part comes from it being half car, half tank.)

http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/wp-content/assets/19/744/graphic0.jpg

From the CNN story:

In truth, the new presidential limo is a Cadillac, Krell said, although it is "not a direct extension of any single model."

"Cadillac is honored to serve and renew this great tradition," she said. "And it is entirely appropriate that an American president has at his service a great American vehicle."

I wonder how much the Obama halo effect will shine on the Cadillac brand?

Also, there was this item in the story:

With the advent of automobiles, the Secret Service acquired a 1907 H. White Steamer to follow Theodore Roosevelt's horse-drawn carriage.

According to the Stanley Steamer site,

The White Steamer was originally produced by The White Sewing Machine Company. Rollin White, the son of the founder, graduated from Cornell University and at the suggestion of his father, designed the White Steamer to help diversify the company's products. The White Sewing Machine had a superior reputation.

White built some 10,000 steamers between 1900 and 1910 when the last steamers were manufactured. Unlike Stanley, The White Sewing Machine Company and later The White Company advertised widely, using many magazine advertisements.
Interesting to think that sewing machine companies used to diversify into automaking.