# The President's car gets stuck **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 23, 2011, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-presidents-car-gets-stuck/582953 "2011-05-23T22:26:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-presidents-car-gets-stuck/582953/21 "2011-05-24T14:45:43Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > the advance car got over it without a problem. No it did not. Watch the video again. It got over the bump, but only with a pretty loud noise. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-presidents-car-gets-stuck/582953/22 "2011-05-24T15:42:49Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > You are not listening! I want a low rider presidential limo, and I want it NOW! With chrome spinners and a horn that plays La Cucaracha. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-presidents-car-gets-stuck/582953/23 "2011-05-24T16:04:39Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > No it did not. Watch the video again. It got over the bump, but only with a pretty loud noise. That is no problem at all compared to getting stuck. ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-presidents-car-gets-stuck/582953/24 "2011-05-24T16:44:29Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > With chrome spinners and a horn that plays La Cucaracha. And fuzzy dice hanging from the rear-view mirror!! ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-presidents-car-gets-stuck/582953/25 "2011-05-24T16:49:11Z")
> [@ChrisBooth12](#): > > If it was under any real threat it would have gotten itself unstuck. The driver probably did not feel the need to floor it or the other cars did not feel the need to give it a love tap or love smash out of its stuckness. If the wheels weren’t touching the ground, what good would flooring it do? The reports I saw said the president wasn’t in that particular car. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-presidents-car-gets-stuck/582953/26 "2011-05-24T16:50:04Z")
And the most kick-ass stereo sub-woofer the world has ever seen! In fact, there’s another possible solution right there – a sound system so awesomely powerful it can shatter nearby obstacles. ---
**Author:** ![c\_goat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@c\_goat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/c_goat)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-presidents-car-gets-stuck/582953/27 "2011-05-24T16:52:39Z")
It seems to me that something broke, and it wasn’t an issue of ground clearance. Look at [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0ac8GfQkkY) angle instead. That’s not a scrape sound, and the front end suddenly drops to rest on the tires. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-presidents-car-gets-stuck/582953/28 "2011-05-24T16:52:44Z")
Cue Gerry Rafferty’s _Stuck in the Middle…_ Bonus points that Rafferty was Scottish. ---
**Author:** ![Myglaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Myglaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myglaren)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-presidents-car-gets-stuck/582953/29 "2011-05-24T18:59:46Z")
They should get [Citroen](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydropneumatic_suspension) to build the next Presmobile. Saved General de Gaulle rather famously. > [@](#): > > The DS has been used in many film and television productions, has inspired artists, and was associated with the French state and French society for many years. The movie The Goddess of 1967 has been named after the DS. The movie is about a 1967 DS or goddess (déesse in French). > > In the post-World War II environment of the 1950s, the DS was a significant advertisement for French manufacturing and ingenuity. President Charles de Gaulle praised the unusual abilities of his unarmoured DS with saving his life during the assassination attempt at Petit-Clamart on 22 August 1962 planned by Jean-Marie Bastien-Thiry — the shots had blown two of the tires, but the car could still escape at full speed. This event was accurately recreated for The Day of the Jackal. Note the battletank fitted with it 🙂 > [@](#): > ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-presidents-car-gets-stuck/582953/30 "2011-05-24T19:40:09Z")
> [@c\_goat](#): > > It seems to me that something broke, and it wasn’t an issue of ground clearance. Look at [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0ac8GfQkkY) angle instead. That’s not a scrape sound, and the front end suddenly drops to rest on the tires. It sure does. Not sure what type of suspension it has, but yeah it looks like it broke. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-presidents-car-gets-stuck/582953/31 "2011-05-24T19:49:46Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > It sure does. Not sure what type of suspension it has, but yeah it looks like it broke. Perhaps the car _did_ have hydraulics to handle the bump, but they broke at just the wrong moment. Granted, any moment would have been bad, but since it happened right there it creates threads like this all over the internet. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-presidents-car-gets-stuck/582953/32 "2011-05-24T22:20:34Z")
> [@c\_goat](#): > > It seems to me that something broke, and it wasn’t an issue of ground clearance. Look at [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0ac8GfQkkY) angle instead. That’s not a scrape sound, and the front end suddenly drops to rest on the tires. you could hear the shorter car ahead of it scrape first as well as the crowd reacting to it. You can see the high point in road. It clearly scraped and was hung up on the drive shaft. After that the car can be seen rocking back and forth on the pivot point. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-presidents-car-gets-stuck/582953/33 "2011-05-24T22:20:39Z")
> [@c\_goat](#): > > It seems to me that something broke, and it wasn’t an issue of ground clearance. Look at [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0ac8GfQkkY) angle instead. That’s not a scrape sound, and the front end suddenly drops to rest on the tires. That is such a strange thing. The motor before (in a different video) just barely scraped over that incline, but that one just seems to collapse and gets stuck. Ah well, another entry in the “Big Book of Things to Do” for the Secret Service. The President’s detail looked much more worried when he and Michelle went away glad handing and hugging people in the little town his ancestor came from. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-presidents-car-gets-stuck/582953/34 "2011-05-24T22:38:05Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Perhaps the car _did_ have hydraulics to handle the bump, but they broke at just the wrong moment. > Granted, any moment would have been bad, but since it happened right there it creates threads like this all over the internet. Does Cadillac have a single torsion bar suspension in front because it drops down evenly in both videos. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-presidents-car-gets-stuck/582953/35 "2011-05-24T22:43:19Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Does Cadillac have a single torsion bar suspension in front because it drops down evenly in both videos. Not even sure if the question is relevant – they add thousands of pounds of armor and special gear, and a bigger engine, so they have to make major changes to the suspension to handle it all. I don’t think Cadillac does this – I think it is an after-market specialized company. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-presidents-car-gets-stuck/582953/36 "2011-05-24T22:53:00Z")
OK, after watching both videos repeatedly I have to believe this is an all wheel drive set up. There is no way the car was going to clear the high point considering the shorter car didn’t make it. The reason I think it’s all wheel drive is because the front wheels actually react to the event and retract force-ably upwards. It just doesn’t collapse, you can see the passenger wheel pull up with the noise. I’m guessing that the drive shaft struck and the sudden violent stopping action was transmitted to the front drive section. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-presidents-car-gets-stuck/582953/37 "2011-05-24T22:55:23Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Not even sure if the question is relevant – they add thousands of pounds of armor and special gear, and a bigger engine, so they have to make major changes to the suspension to handle it all. I don’t think Cadillac does this – I think it is an after-market specialized company. Agreed. The car is Cadillac in name only. Between the 6.5L diesel and the armor it certainly is going to require a complete rework of every moving part. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-presidents-car-gets-stuck/582953/38 "2011-05-24T23:12:17Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Agreed. The car is Cadillac in name only. Between the 6.5L diesel and the armor it certainly is going to require a complete rework of every moving part. Every moving part? It’s a car, not the space shuttle. They’ll have it in the shop for a day, bit of welding, good as new. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-presidents-car-gets-stuck/582953/39 "2011-05-24T23:20:42Z")
> [@Ximenean](#): > > Every moving part? It’s a car, not the space shuttle. They’ll have it in the shop for a day, bit of welding, good as new. It’s not a Volkswagon Bug or a farmer’s pickup truck. It has massive amounts of custom tech and armor on board and it just proved that it can fail. An accident like that is similar to an airplane that does a gear up landing. The damage may not look that bad but it can still cost in the 7 figures to fix once the repairs are made and everyone that needs to approve it is done. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-presidents-car-gets-stuck/582953/40 "2011-05-24T23:57:04Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I think it’s pretty significant that the president’s car can be stopped in its tracks by what amounts to an oversized speed bump. They will have to fix it by adding a hydraulic or compressed air system to jack up the car via the suspension. > > I think it would be really funny if it ended up with, like, low-rider bounce up and down to hip hop music, abilities. > [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > You are not listening! I want a low rider presidential limo, and I want it NOW! > [@joebuck20](#): > > With chrome spinners and a horn that plays La Cucaracha. > [@Jake](#): > > And fuzzy dice hanging from the rear-view mirror!! Nope, that is going to have to wait for the first chicano president … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-presidents-car-gets-stuck/582953.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-presidents-car-gets-stuck/582953.md?page=3)