2012 Cadillac Srx Performance Collection on 2040-cars

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Cadillac to vie for Secret Service armored car contract, new Beast?

President Obama has used the same armored limo since his inauguration in 2008. Known by many as The Beast, the Presidential Limo was provided by Cadillac and earned its nickname in large part because of its massive size, which isn't surprising considering that its Caddy-shaped bodywork is said to sit atop a heavy-duty truck chassis.
It seems the Secret Service may be in the market for a Beast replacement, having issued a request for proposals for a new armored limo. According to Motor Trend, Obama's backup limo is a leftover from the Bush Administration, so it will be interesting to see if this new machine will serve as a replacement for The Beast or for its backup. The contract is to be awarded by September 29, 2013.
The boys from MT contacted Cadillac, Lincoln and Chrysler, and Chrysler is the only one that would confirm that it is not pursuing the contract. Cadillac may have the inside track, as it has provided Presidential limos since 1993, but Lincoln also has a long and storied history of chauffeuring the President.

Drive like a prince: Join us for a walk through Monaco's car collection

Small, crowded, and a royal pain in the trunk lid to drive into during rush hour, Monaco sounds like an improbable location for a huge car museum. And yet, this tiny city-state has been closely linked to car culture for over a century. It hosts two major racing events every year, many of its residents would qualify for a frequent shopper card if Rolls-Royce issued one, and Prince Rainier III began assembling a collection of cars in the late 1950s. He opened his collection to the public in 1993 and the museum quickly turned into a popular tourist attraction. The collection continued to grow after his death in April 2005; it moved to a new facility located right on Hercules Port in July 2022. Monaco being Monaco, you'd expect to walk into a room full of the latest, shiniest, and most powerful supercars ever to shred a tire. That's not the case: while there is no shortage of high-horsepower machines, the first cars you see after paying ˆ10 (approximately $11) to get in are pre-war models. In that era, the template for the car as we know it in 2023 hadn't been created, so an eclectic assortment of expensive and dauntingly experimental machines roamed whatever roads were available to them. One is the Leyat Helica, which was built in France in 1921 with a 1.2-liter air-cooled flat-twin sourced from the world of aviation. Fittingly, the two-cylinder spun a massive, plane-like propeller. Government vehicles get a special spot in the museum. They range from a Cadillac Series 6700 with an amusing blend of period-correct French-market yellow headlights and massive fins to a 2011 Lexus LS 600h with a custom-made transparent roof panel that was built by Belgian coachbuilder Carat Duchatelet for Prince Albert II's wedding. Here's where it all gets a little weird: you've got a 1952 Austin FX3, a Ghia-bodied 1959 Fiat 500 Jolly, a 1960 BMW Isetta, and a 1971 Lotus Seven. That has to be someone's idea of a perfect four-car garage.  One of the most significant cars in the collection lurks in the far corner of the main hall, which is located a level below the entrance. At first glance, it's a kitted-out Renault 4CV with auxiliary lights, a racing number on the front end, and a period-correct registration number issued in the Bouches-du-Rhone department of France. It doesn't look all that different than the later, unmodified 4CV parked right next to it. Here's what's special about it: this is one of the small handful of Type 1063 models built by Renault for competition.

Cadillac previews CT6 interior and its 34 Bose speakers

We get an early monochrome look at the upcoming Cadillac CT6 interior thanks to its stereo system. Bose will debut its Panaray Sound System in the flagship sedan and have 34 speakers located throughout the cabin that will have the occupants bathing in sound. A close look at the interior mock-up shows little visible difference between the CT6 and the praised CTS; the only thing we could find was that the headrests are slightly different and the seat switches have been moved to the doors, a la Mercedes-Benz. As for that Panaray, Bose says it incorporates elements from the company's home and professional audio products, and was designed "exclusively" for this car. We don't know if that means it was tuned for the CT6 or that it will only ever be available on the CT6. Nor do we have any detailed specs on it at the moment, but there's a press release below with a few more tidbits and a high-res graphic above with details on each speaker. Bose Introduces First-of-its-Kind Panaray® Sound System for First-Ever Cadillac CT6 Advanced automotive sound system integrates elements from home products DETROIT, 2015-03-26 – Thirty-five years ago, Bose and Cadillac defined premium automotive audio, forever changing how people listen to music in a vehicle. Now Bose is introducing its most advanced and highest-performing automotive sound system – the Bose® Panaray® system, designed exclusively for the Cadillac CT6 sedan. The 2016 CT6 is a first in its segment, combining the prestige and technology of a range-topping vehicle with the dynamics and efficiency of a smaller one. The Panaray system marks the global debut of Bose Automotive's new line of "Advanced Technology Series" sound systems, integrating technologies and design elements from Bose home entertainment and professional audio products to deliver unprecedented performance in a car. "We asked Bose to create something truly special for this new vehicle: an unbounded sound system, providing an audio experience unmatched in any other luxury automobile," said Travis Hester, Cadillac CT6 executive chief engineer. "Cadillac CT6 customers will be elated by what they hear and feel when they switch on the Bose Panaray system." The Bose® Panaray® system reproduces music with more clarity, precision and deep bass than any system preceding it.