State car

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
State coach of Catherine II (Hermitage St. Petersburg)
Benedict XVI. in a state car

State cars are representative vehicles for the highest officials of a state and state guests.

Staatskarosse is derived from the French carosse and describes a magnificent four-wheeled carriage . Mainly these were often four-, sometimes six-horse bodies reserved for the high nobility. Even today, Queen Elizabeth II drives up in the royal state carriage on festive occasions.

State cars are very different due to different political customs. They range from magnificent landaulets for parades to armored special protection vehicles . What they have in common is that they are driven by a chauffeur and a standard can be set. Local vehicle manufacturers are often preferred.

Australia

Prime Minister John Howard's official car in May 2007

The Prime Minister of Australia is chauffeured in a white Holden Caprice . He usually sits in the front left on the front passenger seat. The Australian flag is attached to the front of the bonnet in the center. The white number, marked with "C of A" is "C1", where the "C" stands for "Commonwealth" - the official name of the country is Commonwealth of Australia  .

The governor general , as the monarch's representative in absentia, has a crown on his plate.

Germany

In Germany statesmen only drive vehicles of German brands. Before and long after the Second World War, it was mostly a Mercedes-Benz , for example Hindenburg and Adolf Hitler used the Mercedes-Benz 770 .

Federal Republic

Mercedes-Benz S-Class of the German Federal President
Audi A8 L W12 of the German Chancellor

Even in the times of the Federal Republic of Germany, Mercedes-Benz was mostly driven. Only Bavarian politicians always preferred BMW or Audi . In countries such as North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse , large Opel models such as the Opel Kapitän , Opel Diplomat B and the Opel Senator were also used at times . In the course of the 1990s, Audi in particular made a name for itself, and recently also Volkswagen with the VW Phaeton . Meanwhile, it is common that the Chancellor all German upper class has saloons in the fleet. Manufacturers are Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and VW . Usually these are special protection vehicles .

Examples of German politician vehicles:

GDR

In the German Democratic Republic vehicles from Tatra , Volvo and Citroën were used as state coaches. The Tatra 603 was mainly used until the 1970s , with the Tatra 613 being used as the successor to the T603 . Later the Volvo models of the 200 and 700 series and the Citroën CX were used. The vehicles were partially extended. For example, there were special bodies from the Volvo 200 and 700 series from Volvo (Volvo 264 TE (Top Executive)) or Carlson in Sweden. Other models were the GAZ-13 Tschaika and GAZ-14 Tschaika from the Gorkowski Avtomobilny Sawod and vehicles from ZIL .

Finland

The President of the Republic of Finland uses an armored Mercedes-Benz S600L with the coat of arms of Finland on it instead of a license plate. A similar car is used by the Speaker of Parliament , while the Prime Minister uses an armored Mercedes-Benz S450 CDI as the official vehicle.

Most Finnish cabinet members drive an Audi A6s , but the government's fleet also includes Volvo S80s and Saab 9-5s .

France

Simca Présidence, used by Presidents de Gaulle and Pompidou

In France, politicians and presidents have driven the vehicles listed below over the decades.

Peugeot 604 in a special version used by Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
DS5 Hybrid of President Hollande (2012)

Greece

Models from Mercedes-Benz were used as state coaches shortly after the First World War and up to the present day . A few exceptions are a Packard, in which the then Prime Minister E. Venizelos narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in 1933 , as well as a Maybach Zeppelin in the 1930s and, from 1970, a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow . This car was purchased in Greece during the monarchy and used until 1981.

From 1981, an armored Mercedes S-Class of the type Mercedes-Benz 500 SEL / W126 under Konstantinos Karamanlis belonged to the official vehicle fleet of the Greek President. His successor President Konstantinos Stefanopoulos (1995–2005) used the same vehicle and waived his right to a new state limousine in anticipation of the necessary frugality.

In 1991, Prime Minister Konstantinos Mitsotakis broke the tradition of choosing the Mercedes brand as the state limousine and had 16 armored vehicles from the Italian manufacturer Lancia ( Lancia Thema ) purchased for use at government level. Curiously, these vehicles remained in use at ministerial level for over 13 years: Evangelos Venizelos , who later became finance minister during the Greek sovereign debt crisis , received one of the last armored Lancia Thema in use as minister of education in 2001. In this role he was responsible for coordinating the preparations for the 2004 Olympic Games from 2001-2004. The fleet of state company cars was renewed, according to contractual obligations exclusively with Hyundai vehicles, the official car advertising partner of the 2004 Summer Olympics .

As of 2004, government vehicles from Audi (A4, A8) were ordered for the first time under the government of Kostas Karamanlis .

In 2009 (the future head of government) Giorgos Papandreou promised the sale of all state cars over 1400 cubic centimeters. From now on only vehicles should be purchased that would meet the highest environmental requirements. This was even regulated by ministerial decree (KYA 129/2534/2010 -ΦΕΚ 108β ') and set a deadline for this until December 31, 2010, but the decree was never fulfilled, despite several extensions to the end of 2014, with the temporary exception of one's own company car : Giorgos Papandreou had his predecessor's armored Mercedes sold and initially used a white Toyota Prius as a company car, followed a little later by a Lexus SUV Hybrid. It did not stop there, because within the timeframe of the first EU / IMF package to Greece , an armored BMW 760Li High Security was purchased for the respective finance minister , as it was assumed that the minister in this position would be in greater danger; With a purchase price of around 750,000 EUR, this vehicle became a political bone of contention, as many found this luxury vehicle offensive to politicians who imposed severe austerity measures on the people.

The President's armored S-Class or a rental car were used during state visits. Škoda Octavia vehicles were acquired for lower-ranking office holders . Under the government of Antonis Samaras (2012–2015) another armored BMW 7 Series iL sedan was ordered. Ironically, this vehicle was used for the first time during the 2014 state visit by Chancellor Angela Merkel . Both vehicles should be abolished after the change of government in 2015, according to the promise of the left-wing Prime Minister A. Tsipras .

In the President's fleet there is now an armored Mercedes S-Class S500 (W220), later S500 L (221 series), as this falls under the concerns of the Greek presidency and not the government.

Great Britain

Queen Elizabeth II's current Bentley (Bentley State Limousine)

State coaches for royal families in Great Britain and other countries are often built by Rolls-Royce or Bentley . However, the British court itself mostly preferred vehicles from the Daimler Motor Company . The British Prime Minister is currently driving a latest generation Jaguar XJ . At the moment, Queen Elizabeth II is driven in a Bentley State limousine on official occasions .

Italy

Armored Lancia Thema of the Italian President in December 2016

In Italy, politicians are currently driving armored vehicles such as the Lancia Thema and Maserati Quattroporte V (President). There are also some Alfa Romeo 166s and the Lancia Flaminia Presidenziale from the early 1960s in a long special version, but the latter are rarely used. A special feature is that vehicles from foreign manufacturers are also used, such as an Audi A8 under Berlusconi .

In the past, the Lancia Thesis , Alfa Romeo 164 and Fiat Croma were among the traditional politician vehicles. Also well-known company cars of the past include the Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 , Fiat 2800 , Lancia Astura , Lancia Flaminia , Fiat 130 and Maserati Quattroporte III .

Japan

Toyota Century Royal

The Japanese emperor is chauffeured in a Toyota Century Royal . A regular Toyota Century and a Lexus LS 600 are available to the Prime Minister .

Yugoslavia

Former President Josip Broz Tito used a Mercedes 600 .

New Zealand

In the last few decades, the Prime Ministers of New Zealand have usually been chauffeured in top Australian-made limousines such as the Holden Statesman or Ford Fairlane . In December 2007, 34 BMW 730Ld were then ordered, which have been used as state vehicles since 2008.

Netherlands

Dutch politicians often drive 7-series BMWs. Former Queen Beatrix used an extended version of the Volvo S80 on official occasions .

Austria

The Graef & Stift 40/45 HP, which was delivered to Emperor Franz Joseph I in 1914 , was mainly used by Emperor Karl I for trips to the front and went into exile with the Emperor in 1918.

The golden imperial carriage once served as the coronation carriage of the imperial court in Vienna. Emperor Franz Joseph rarely used the automobile and was mostly chauffeured in open carriages, but the imperial court owned a number of automobiles. These were mostly products from Austro-Daimler or Gräf and Stift with special bodies from the purveyors to the court Armbruster , Lohner or Czerny. Four of these court automobiles were temporarily reserved for the Kaiser, to whom the first - an Austro Daimler 25/30 HP - was given by the Austrian Automobile Club in March 1909 . For a while, Franz Josef used two Mercedes 40/45 HP as a “body car” (i.e. only the Kaiser personally determined how to use it) . One of them had a closed body, the second was designed as a landaulet. From September 1912 he used a Gräf & Stift 40/45 HP with a closed body from Anton Czerny (following his express request for an Austrian automobile) . Emperor Karl I used the vehicles taken over from his predecessor rather little. Sometimes he bought new ones, including several Nesselsdorfer type T. He only used the open Graef & Stift from 1914, which is still preserved today, mainly to travel to the front, the car left Austria with the Kaiser in 1918 and stayed in Switzerland. In the 1970s, the car was acquired by the ÖAF Gräf & Stift and restored true to the original. It has the typical paintwork for courtyard vehicles and the license plate is also original.

Three of the farm cars have been preserved, one each from Austro-Daimler, Austro-Fiat and Gräf & Stift. The car Emperor Charles I. is in the corral of Schonbrunn Palace shown.

In the early 1960s, a Chrysler Imperial served as the state car for the Federal President. Today the Mercedes-Benz S-Class , the VW Phaeton , the Audi A8 and the BMW 7 Series are used in Austria.

Switzerland

In Switzerland, the BMW 7 Series , Audi A8 and the Mercedes-Benz S-Class are mainly used since 2014 there has also been a Tesla Model S in the fleet. Before that it was among others Chrysler Imperial and Cadillac Fleetwood .

Soviet Union and Russia

ZIL 41047 (1990) 1X7A8072.jpg
ZIL-4104
2018 inauguration of Vladimir Putin 26.jpg
Aurus Senate


In the Soviet Union the brands Volga , ZIS and above all ZIL , as well as vehicles of the types GAZ-13 Chaika and GAZ-14 Chaika were used.

In Russia today, ZIL-115 , ZIL-117 and ZIL-4104 are still used, and Vladimir Putin can often be seen in an armored S-class from Mercedes of the W221 series. Since May 2018, Vladimir Putin has been on the road in his new state limousine Aurus Senat (Kortezh project).

Spain

Before his abdication in 2014, the Spanish King Juan Carlos was mostly seen in an Audi A8 company vehicle. General Franco purchased three Rolls-Royce Phantom IVs for official occasions, at least one of which is still in use by the royal court.

Czech Republic

Škoda VOS Škoda Superb I.
Škoda VOS
Škoda Superb I.

After the war, political figures were driven in the armored Škoda VOS in Czechoslovakia . Then Tatra got the order to present a state coach. In the meantime, Soviet models ( GAZ-12 ZIM ) were imported. However, these were not popular. In 1955 the Tatra 603 came into service, this was replaced by the Tatra 613 . The Tatra 700 was the last Tatra vehicle to enter service. Vehicles from Mercedes-Benz were used as successors to the Tatra models . Václav Havel was often seen in his private Lancia Kappa .

Since the construction of the Škoda Superb I, II and III with luxury equipment, the Czech President has only driven with these vehicles.

Turkey

The president , prime minister , the commander in chief of the Turkish army , the opposition leader and the ministers usually use a newer or older series of Mercedes-Benz S-Class vehicles . According to the Turkish Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek, the Turkish government currently has 471 state vehicles in use. The total number of vehicles used in the public sector is 115,000 (as of May 26, 2015).

United States

Packard Twelve ( 17th series ) by Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1939)
Cadillac One or The Beast in the look of a Cadillac DTS

The first automobiles in the White House were ordered by President William Howard Taft in 1909. It was a Pierce Great Arrow , a White steam truck, and a Columbia Electric . At least the Pierce Arrow was still used by Woodrow Wilson .

A Packard Twin Six was the first automobile to drive a President ( Warren G. Harding ) into office in 1921.

Other models used by the US presidents were:

Vatican city

Popemobile

A special kind of state coach is the Pope's Popemobile . Pope John Paul II mostly drove a Mercedes G-model as a popemobile and an extended S-class of the W 126 type as the 500 SEL in special protection and the W 140 as the S 500 in the landaulet version . A Lancia Thesis named Lancia Thesis Jubileo was configured for John Paul II. The vehicle has been extended and, at the request of the Pope, has less chrome than the standard version, as did his successor Benedict XVI. used the car. Furthermore, Pope Benedict XVI. in addition, a BMW E70 and, since October 2006, a converted VW Phaeton .

Pope Francis prefers modest cars. In 2015 he made his first appearance in a Popemobile based on the Hyundai Santa Fe . On trips abroad he used small models such as the Renault Symbol and Fiat 500L .

State cars of other countries

additional

Bathing ceremony in Thailand during the barque procession in 1886.

Ships (see: State yacht , magnificent barge , Cheops barge in ancient Egypt), airplanes (e.g. Konrad Adenauer (airplane) ) and railways (see: State train ) are or were specifically designed or used as state or government vehicles.

In a peculiar tradition, Thailand presents the ruler's vehicle on the water in the form of the king's barge. Royal barque processions have been celebrated on special occasions since the 14th century .

Web links

Commons : State carriages  - collection of images

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://lebendom.com/article/staatskarosse
  2. ↑ Πώς η Mercedes «ενώνει» Παυλόπουλο - Ερντογάν. December 15, 2017, Retrieved April 4, 2019 (Greek).
  3. ↑ Windingroad.com: Toyota gives the emperor Century Royal treatment . Windingroad.com. July 13, 2006. Retrieved August 29, 2007.
  4. ^ Blog: New Zealand government splashes out on BMW
  5. ↑ Koninklijk Staldepartement: Hofauto’s ( Memento from October 27, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
  6. ↑ ANNO, Allgemeine Automobil-Zeitung, 1909-03-14, page 2. Retrieved on June 18, 2020 .
  7. ^ ANNO, Allgemeine Automobil-Zeitung, 1912-09-22, page 10. Retrieved on June 18, 2020 .
  8. ↑ (1) Star: Perbetuum Mobile
  9. ↑ Hyundai Popemobile. In: AUTOBILD.de. Bernd Wieland, June 10, 2015, accessed June 20, 2017 .
  10. ↑ A symbol of humility. In: AUTOBILD.de. Bernd Wieland, December 1, 2014, accessed June 20, 2017 .
  11. ↑ Francis drives a Fiat. In: AUTOBILD.de. Bernd Wieland, September 25, 2015, accessed June 20, 2017 .