This is how the US Secret Service transports the president's armored motorcade all over the world

When he’s not on Air Force One, the US President always travels aboard The Beast, a bulletproof Cadillac no one knows much about, and a massive 40-strong motorcade that the US Secret Service is responsible for.

We know how the Secret Service transports these vehicles, and we know they don’t travel on Air Force One.

Some people might find it surprising.

But there’s a very good reason why that’s the case.

DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie

How the US secret service transports the motorcade

The Beast, sometimes known as First Car or Cadillac One, is a bulletproof Cadillac used by the Secret Service to chauffeur the US President everywhere.

A while back, Jay Leno had the chance to talk to two US Secret Service agents about the car, and while there’s a lot they couldn’t say about it, they still revealed some interesting details that most people might not know.

The Beast, which by the way is not an official title, travels aboard gigantic cargo planes, usually C-17 and C-5 military aircraft able to carry the Caddy, along with all the other vehicles.

The main reason is security, but there’s also a practical reason: The Beast wouldn’t fit in Air Force One.

Air Force One is a modified Boeing 747 – a very large plane – but the whole fuselage is dedicated to the US President’s staff, so there’s no room for vehicles.

The agents also revealed that there are always at least two identical cars in the motorcade, and every Beast is always destroyed after being decommissioned, usually after eight years of service.

Even though both the Boeing C-17 Globemaster and the Lockheed C-5 are really large planes, the US Secret Service still confirmed it uses more than one.

Speaking to Jay Leno, the Secret Service agent still said the agency always has ‘multiple C-17s and C5s’ everywhere they go.

The fact that he said ‘multiple’ – not ‘a few’ or ‘a couple’ – tells you everything you need to know.

What do other prominent heads of state drive

Generally speaking, presidents and prime ministers tend to use domestic vehicles when available.

The President of France, for example, has access to a variety of Peugeot, Citroën, and Renault vehicles.

Obviously, not everyone can do that.

Heads of state in the Balkans, for example, often choose Škoda – and other VW Group vehicles – which makes logistical sense as several models are made in Czechia or Germany, which are both relatively close to the region.

But when it comes to style, very few presidents can outdo the President of China.

The President of China is chauffeured everywhere aboard the Hongqi Guoli, also known as L5.

Hongqi is Mandarin for ‘Red Flag’, a symbol of the Chinese Communist Party.

The car is a tribute to capitalism, though.

There’s no doubt about that.

The door handles are adorned with actual jade, and the hub caps and steering wheel feature gold flowers.

And the price is definitely very capitalistic: it costs $1 million.