The President of the United States is one of the most heavily defended individuals on the planet, with his entourage and transportation being carefully prepared by the Secret Service to ensure their security. The president’s state car is one of the most iconic components of that secure transportation system, but since the late 20th century onwards, the Secret Service has traditionally destroyed any retired vehicles to prevent the secrets in their construction from being leaked.
This is why the auctioning of one of Bill Clinton’s three 1996 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham Presidential Limousines is such a unique event. Mecum Auctions sold the former presidential state car at their Kissimmee 2025 sale on 18 January. Bidding opened at US$90,000 and quickly soared over the next few minutes to its final hammer price of US$240,000. If the buyer was in person, they would pay a total of US$264,000 due to the 10% premium, while if they were online or bidding via telephone, their premium would've been 12%, meaning a total final price of US$268,800.
This is a highly rare vehicle. Of the other two, one is held by the William J. Clinton Library and Museum in Little Rock, Arkansas, and the other is owned by the CIA, having never been released by the organization. It is estimated that the total procurement cost of this three-car program totaled US$6 million.
Lot S45 | Cadillac Motor Car Division | 1996 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham Presidential Limousine
Circa 1996
Chassis number: 1G6DW52P7TR710054
Mileage: 627 miles
Estimate: Not disclosed
Hammer Price: US$240,000
Sold: US$264,000 (for in-person buyer)/US$268,880 (for online and telephone buyers)
Auction House: Mecum Auction
Sale: Kissimmee 2025
Date: 18 January 2025
When Bill Clinton took office in 1993, his first presidential state car was a heavily modified 1993 Cadillac Fleetwood. It was heavily armored and contained a vast deal of technology, including satellite communications and the Internet. Currently, that model sits in the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. While museum staff can maintain the outside, whenever they want to access the interior they must contact and receive clearance from the Secret Service beforehand, due to the sensitive nature of the equipment inside.
In 1996, the 1993 model was phased out and replaced with another modified Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham. The Fleetwood Brougham was a luxury design by Cadillac and was always one of the more expensive cars within its lineup.
The modified version was acquired most likely via a contract placed by the Secret Service which had previously mainly acquired Lincolns as their official state car for the President.
Its most obvious modifications are in its looks. It is a significantly longer car, with it being 685.8 cm in length, while the production car was only 561.34 cm since it had to be remade into a limousine.
The two front flagpoles featuring the American flag are also fairly obvious identifiers, along with the raised roof, custom tires, and various sound systems, alarms, and emergency lights.
The old 1993 Cadillac limo which was used by Bill Clinton
Regarding the more technical upgrades, the car is rated as a B6 armored car. This is the rating used to define what the car could withstand, with B6 being able to withstand bullets from common rifle calibers with its 3-inch bulletproof glass. Additionally, cars rated under B6 protection are highly resistant to explosions.
To further protect the occupants, the car is equipped with fire suppression systems and specialized lighting.
However, with this being an era of modernization across the world, what set this car apart was the inclusion of advanced communications systems, which, if equipped like its predecessor, have access to radio and satellite communications, phones, and the internet. Images also show the car equipped with a television with a built-in VHS player.
The car also came with a custom power unit: a 454 CI engine. It was specially built by hand by Jack Roush, the co-founder of Roush Yates Engines and founder, owner, and CEO of RFK Racing, a NASCAR team. He is also known to have built performance engines for American car makers.
The 3-inch bulletproof glass
The car’s TV and VHS system
When in use, this car would have been the centerpiece of a Secret Service motorcade used to transport the president either domestically or abroad. In the case of it needing to be sent abroad, it would be transported by the Air Force in advance. However, generally speaking, the Secret Service dislikes the use of motorcades due to the complexity of organizing and coordinating; instead, it prefers to transport the president by using the Presidential helicopter Marine 1.
Meanwhile, Cadillac has continued its partnership with the US Government producing all the Presidential limos, with almost all of them being custom cars and no longer being simply based on a preexisting model. The current iteration of the Presidential limo is known as “The Beast,” which entered into service in 2018 and costs between US$1-1.5 million per unit.
The current limo used by the Secret Service, named "The Beast"
The availability of this car for private purchase is curious and quite amazing, given the prevalent security concerns and the desire to prevent government property with potentially classified systems from entering the open market. It was last sold by the American car auction house Barrett-Jackson in 2008.
For reference, cars that were owned by American presidents and sold at auction tend to be of a different era where the concerns of modern technology being leaked aren't present. For example, in 2013 Bonhams sold President Herbert Hoover's 1932 Cadillac V-16 Imperial Limousine for US$87,750.
31st President of the United States, Herbert Hoover's 1932 Cadillac V-16 Imperial Limousine. Sold by Bonhams for US$87,750 in 2013