Presidents of the USA just don't drive around all that much. Actually, they don't drive themselves around, ever. Because they're not allowed to as long as they hold office. For President Joe Biden, the 46th President of the United States, that's a big deal. Because just one look at his classic car collection will tell you that he's a real gearhead.
Updated February 2023: With President Biden's most prized car in the news lately for how secure the garage in which it's stored is (next to classified documents), we've gone back to this article to add more details about Biden's cars.
Biden's association with cars goes back a long way. The President's even got a fairly well-appointed, but small collection of classic cars and vintage metal. All of which he's technically not allowed to drive. Occasionally, the Secret Service does allow the top-brass to bend the rules a bit. But only when they're a guest on Jay Leno's Garage, for example.
In the episode that was filmed before he was president, Biden gets behind the wheel of his prized Chevrolet Corvette Stingray from 1967, takes it up to a claimed 118 mph, drag races the former Secretary of State Colin Powell's son, Michael Powell in a 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, and samples the all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning. For a guy who doesn't get to do much driving at all, this was definitely a day of highlights.
This Was The US President's First Car
President Joe Biden’s first car was a 1951 Studebaker. The Studebaker Champion is an automobile that was produced by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana. It was produced from the beginning of 1939 until 1958. It was a full-size car in its first three generations and a mid-size car in its fourth and fifth-generation models, serving as the junior model to the Commander.
Joe Biden's Studebaker is a third generation car. The styling included a new rear window, flat front fenders, as well as convenience features like backlight illumination for gauges and automatic courtesy lights. A fun fact is that the Champion made up 65 percent of the total sales for the automaker in 1947.
The car came with a 2.8-liter inline-six engine. The engine could produce 85 horsepower which was not bad in those days. The car also came with an automatic transmission. One of the new styling features on the cars was the wraparound, "greenhouse" rear window that was on 2-door, 5-passenger coupes from 1947 to 1951.
Joe Biden's Corvette Is His Favorite Car
President Biden is the son of a former Chrysler dealership manager of some 34 years. His dad also ran operations at Ford for a short time. That meant that the president was around a lot of iconic cars back in the day. He once said in an interview, "I remember my senior prom, being able to take a 7,000-mile Chrysler 300D off the lot."
The Chrysler Letter Series were high-performance personal luxury cars that were built by Chrysler in the United States from 1955 to 1965. They were cars that focused on performance, so they can be considered one of the muscle car’s ancestors. They were full-sized cars and very expensive.
This was the same time that Chrysler produced the rare but powerful D model in 1958. It made some 380 horsepower thanks to a 392 cubic inch 6.4-liter V8. Thirty-five cars were built with fuel injection and delivered 390 horsepower. A total of 618 hardtops and 191 convertibles were produced.
Biden's Car Collection And What It's Worth
President Joe Biden is not only one of the most important men in America at the moment, but he is also known as a gearhead. He loves his cars, and he has some of the most magnificent cars in his collection.
First off, he has a Mercedes-Benz 190SL. It is not known which year model he has, though they produced 190SLs from 1955- to 1963. The car comes with a 1.9 L straight-four SOHC engine that produces 104 horsepower. According to Classic.com, average prices hover around $115,000, making this roadster almost as valuable as the next car in Biden's collection.
The car that is closest to his heart is his 1967 Chevrolet Corvette. This car has been finished in Goodwood Green and is powered by a 327 cubic-inch V8 engine. This demon of a car can produce 350 horsepower! The convertible was a wedding gift to Joe Biden from his father in August 1967 and still sits in his garage. It is understandable why this car is a sentimental part of his life. While average prices on C2 Corvettes are in the $110,000 range, restored examples like Biden's can go for a lot more money.
Another lesser-known car in Joe Biden's collection is a 1952 Plymouth Cranbrook Convertible. It flaunts a candy-apple red shade and has been with the President for quite some time now. It is powered by a 97 hp six-cylinder flathead engine that was quite swift for its time. It has a classic design and is well sought after in the classic car space. These Cranbrooks tend to sell for under $20,000 on the used car market.
What Is The President's Beast?
President Joe Biden is currently driving around in ‘The Beast’. This was the Cadillac limo that was built for Donald Trump. The windows have five layers of glass and polycarbonate. This ensures that the windows can withstand huge bullet shots. There are five-inch-thick military-grade armored tires on this car as well. Finally, the doors have been equipped with explosion prevention foam to survive a direct RPG hit.
A New Presidential Beast Coming In 2023?
The next presidential limousine could begin its engineering phase around 2023. The body itself might not undergo a lot of changes when it comes to the layout of the car. We do expect that an electric presidential limousine could allow Cadillac to showcase its turn to EVs.
The new president and Vice President have made it clear that they are all about climate change, so we are hoping when it comes time to design a new presidential car, their standings on environmental awareness will showcase in the car design.