Rides of Heads of State (Part 15)

I'm done! It worked out that the last six cars in this series ended up being those of Eastern Europeans and one very eccentric Icelander (and no, it's not the prime minister).

95. Hungary. The prez rides in an A8. Is it able to catch up to the 7 series in the final tally?

96. Bulgaria. The prez rides in an S-class. No question, the Merc S-class is THE number one choice of world leaders.

97. Romania. Ditto with the S-class for the Romanian prez.

98. Slovenia. The Slovenian president rides in an A8. In my research, I've been surprised at the Audi's strong showing. It does not quite have the numbers to catch the BMW, though.

99. Iceland. The prime minister's office never responded to my query. By happenstance, I ran across an Icelandic blog which described the current president's ride as a 1980s black Cadillac sedan with "1" on his license plate. Iceland's choice in cars has always been different. 1000 horsepower dune buggies climb 85 degree inclines. Bigfoot sized tires are fitted onto Land Cruisers so that they can trek across the ice. But the 1980s Caddy takes the cake.

100. Slovakia. I end the list with the president of Slovakia, Ivan Gasparovic. This character has been racing cars for over 30 years. He continues to race, and even suffered a car wreck around the track while in office. Though he does not ride to work in his SEAT race car, it is worth noting here. Note that both of these pictures can be found in the Slovak President's official website, under the heading "The President in Casual Clothing." Cheers.


Final tally:
S-class: 35
7 series: 11
Land Cruiser: 8
Maybach: 6
A8: 6
Phaeton: 4
Caddy: 3
G-wagen: 2
Holden: 2
Jag: 2
ZIL: 2

One of each of the following: Lancia, Hyundai, Skoda, A6, Peugeot, Renault, Lincoln, VW van, London taxi, Daimler, Suburban, Toyota Century, Hongqi, Bentley, Rolls, Ford Fairlane, Aston Martin, Touareg, SEAT

CKY

Rides of Heads of State (Part 14)

Ah, the penultimate installment of the series. I'm getting sentimental already. The hours of searching on the net for that picture of Joseph Kabila in the elusive black Mercedes. Using Babelfish to translate a Dutch blog to figure out whether the Romanian president was actually the official importer of Citroens.

89. Ivory Coast. A surprise here. For a while, I've held off on Ivory Coast because of the civil war. After all, who is the legitimate leader? Good news. I saw on the BBC World News today that a compromise has been reached and the rebel leader will take the seat of prime minister. Even better, the news was accompanied by footage of the rebel leader stepping out of his ride, a VW Touareg!

90, 91. Tanzania, Maldives. The presidents of these nations ride in Merc S-classes.

92. United Arab Emirates. The PM, an uber-rich fellow, rides in a Maybach. No surprise here.

93. Croatia. After much scrutiny, I have concluded that the Croatian president's official ride is a BMW 7 series. Although this picture was taken in Hungaria, the car's license plate, which is discernable in another shot, is definitely non-EU in origin, i.e. Croatian.

94. Taiwan (Republic of China). After 93 countries, we finally arrive at our second Cadillac, and fourth American car. Though Chen Shui-Bian is no Nationalist dog, he continues Chiang Kai-Shek's tradition of Cadillacs. It is not only a throwback to a time when a Cadillac was a CADILLAC, but it symbolizes Taiwan's dependence on big brother to defend it when the Red Chinese try to recapture this renegade province.

Tally so far:
S-class: 33
7 series: 11
Land Cruiser: 8
Maybach: 6
Phaeton: 4
A8: 4
G-wagen: 2
Holden: 2
Jag: 2
ZIL: 2
Caddy: 2

One of each of the following: Lancia, Hyundai, Skoda, A6, Peugeot, Renault, Lincoln, VW van, London taxi, Daimler, Suburban, Toyota Century, Hongqi, Bentley, Rolls, Ford Fairlane, Aston Martin, Touareg

CKY

Rides of Heads of State (Part 13)

No word from Iceland's prime minister's office yet. I've decided to aim for 100 countries for this series. It may be revived in the future, but my research resources are limited and I am running out of leads. Also, for the first time in this series, I am including today cars of leaders who are not necessarily the heads of government, to which I had previously limited myself. Today, some of the vehicles are actually those of heads of state. If that was confusing, please disregard what I just said. I give you today's installment.

80. Fiji. Last December, the Fijian prime minister was ousted by the military in a coup. In homage to the outgoing PM, I give you the last shot of his Land Cruiser leaving his compound on the day of the coup.

81. Estonia. The Estonians, looking West, love fancy German and American cars. Rumor has it that it has more Hummers per capita than any other country. For the PM, the Audi A8 suits him perfectly.

82, 83, 84, 85. Somalia, Luxembourg, Lesotho, Albania. The president, Grand Duke, king, and president of these respective nations all ride in S-class Mercedes.

86, 87. Iraq, Serbia. The presidents of Iraq and Serbia both ride in 7 series BMWs. Let's hope they are equipped with the 6 liter for that quick getaway.

88. Mongolia. In this land of few roads but many steppes, the PM rides in a Land Cruiser.

Tally so far:
S-class: 31
7 series: 10
Land Cruiser: 8
Maybach: 5
Phaeton: 4
A8: 4
G-wagen: 2
Holden: 2
Jag: 2
ZIL: 2

One of each of the following: Lancia, Hyundai, Skoda, A6, Peugeot, Renault, Lincoln, VW van, Cadillac, London taxi, Daimler, Suburban, Toyota Century, Hongqi, Bentley, Rolls, Ford Fairlane, Aston Martin

CKY

Rides of Heads of State (Part 12)

It's getting tougher and tougher to find leads. Yesterday, I had to resort to emailing Iceland's PM's office. I'll of course report any replies.

70. Mauritus. With recent economic problems, austerity is the operative word for this tiny Indian Ocean nation. PM Ramgoolam probably did not get the memo because late last year, he bought himself an Aston DB9. Bastard.

71. Sweden. With Saab in GM's hands and Volvo in Ford's, there is no point for Sweden's PM to ride in a Scandanavian sedan. Here he is in his black S-class. But Swedish culture and tradition is ever-present, as we see the PM riding with his seat belt securely fastened.

72. Oman. As is the case for nearly every state on the Arabian peninsula, the Maybach is the only choice. I'm tracking down the Kuwaiti emir's ride, but I am almost certain that it is going to be a Maybach as well.

73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79. Iran, Zambia, Liberia, Nigeria, Libya, Morocco, Uganda. The leaders of all of these countries ride in Merc S-classes. Providing executive vehicles is probably one of the few reasons DaimlerChrysler is not completely in a financial abyss.

Tally so far:
S-class: 27
7 series: 8
Land Cruiser: 6
Maybach: 5
Phaeton: 4
A8: 3
G-wagen: 2
Holden: 2
Jag: 2
ZIL: 2

One of each of the following: Lancia, Hyundai, Skoda, A6, Peugeot, Renault, Lincoln, VW van, Cadillac, London taxi, Daimler, Suburban, Toyota Century, Hongqi, Bentley, Rolls, Ford Fairlane, Aston Martin

CKY

Rides of Heads of State (Part 11)

Quick blurbs and an updated tally....

64. Afghanistan. Karzai's Land Cruiser blends right in the Kabul crowd, what with hundreds of Land Cruisers provided by NGOs clogging the city streets. Here, his Afghan driver, not yet versed in VIP protection, stops the SUV so that a citizen can speak with Karzai. Moments later, an assassination attempt takes place.

65. Austria. The Chancellor, along with all the government ministers, ride in Audi A8s like this one.

66. Burundi. Though President Nkurunziza rides in an S-class, this informal chap impounded a number of government Mercs and sold them to cut government costs and to increase the morale of the citizenry.

67. Armenia. President Kocharian, along with many top officials, use the BMW 7 series. This is a picture of the customs minister's BMW after an attack. It suffered minor damage.

68. Dominican Republic. President Fernandez rides shotgun in his Land Cruiser.

69. Bahrain. As one of the world's richest monarchs, King Khalifa rides in a Maybach, of course.

Tally so far:
S-class: 19
7 series: 8
Land Cruiser: 6
Phaeton: 4
Maybach: 4
A8: 3
G-wagen: 2
Holden: 2
Jag: 2
ZIL: 2

One of each of the following: Lancia, Hyundai, Skoda, A6, Peugeot, Renault, Lincoln, VW van, Cadillac, London taxi, Daimler, Suburban, Toyota Century, Hongqi, Bentley, Rolls, Ford Fairlane.

CKY

Rides of Heads of State (Part 10)

Welcome to the tenth installment. A few surprises with New Zealand and Botswana are in store. The others...not so much.

57, 58, and 59. Belarus, Denmark, and Trinidad & Tobago. Mercedes S-class. The Stuttgart brand continues its lead as the car of choice for world leaders.

60. Egypt. In a commercial and P.R. coup, BMW somehow got Mubarak, a Mercedes fan since his ascendancy as dictator-in-chief in 1981, to switch sides. That's like getting McQueen to switch to an AMX or Camaro for a remake of Bullitt.

61. New Zealand. Since I began researching this list, I was convinced that Helen Clark rode in a Holden Statesman. But alas, I could not find any confirmation of such. Yesterday, I accidentally found a debate going on in New Zealand about ministers riding in gas guzzling Ford Fairlanes, one of which belongs to Clark. The Green Party suggestion for a replacement vehicle-- the Toyota Echo.
62. Brunei. The Sultan has the largest collection of cars in the world, nearing 5,000. Rumor has it that when he ran out of room in his five airplane hangars, some cars were simply dumped into the ocean. His collection includes: Ferrari and Bentley station wagons, 500 Rolls-Royces, a Porsche Carrara GT, a 959, six Ferrari FXs, the only right hand drive Benz CLK-GTR, and seven McLaren F1s. What is most impressive is that he owns an F1 car as driven by every F1 World Drivers Champion since 1980. Astounding. My favorite has to be his Ferrari shooting brakes. But for his 60th birthday celebration, he dusted off one of his Rolls-Royces.

63. Botswana. Bentley Arnage. No, it's not what you think. President Festus Mogae is different. Unlike other African nations, many of Botswana's government officials drive locally assembled Hyundais. Mogae is an unassuming man who is often seen grocery shopping by himself. When he took office, he continued to use two 1970s Daimlers which had been used by his predecessors. But when both broke down simultaneously, news photos showed poor Festus on the side of the road like an urchin. After much outcry by the populace, Mogae reluctantly accepted a Bentley. For once, this is an African leader who deserves his nice ride.

CKY

Rides of Heads of State (Part 9)

A little housekeeping first. I feel the need to explain my parameters. I am going to present cars from every nation-state that is a member of the United Nations, plus Taiwan and the Vatican. That's 194 countries. That means by the end of this post, I will have reached the 30% mark, almost.

The other matter is the definition of Head of State. In reality, the individuals I have identified with the cars are all Heads of Governments. If they are in fact Heads of State, it is because in their respective nations, such as the United States, the leader is both the Head of State and the Head of Government.

One surprise so far is the fact that not a single leader has chosen a Lexus LS as his/her car of choice. Maybe I'll uncover one later.

A running tally of the cars listed thus far can be found at the end of this post. Enjoy.

47. Bhutan. King Wangchuck (I'm not making this up) is humble, respected, and popular. He drives a Land Cruiser, like many of his subjects. A true man of the people.

48. China. Because China has a burgeoning auto industry, Hu has no choice but to ride in one of China's own. Hongqi (Red Flag in Mandarin) has been making cars for the Communist elite for decades. Its latest flagship is an ugly amalgam of a Lincoln Town Car, South Korean technology, and Chinese craftsmanship. Yeah, it's that bad. The factory website boasts, among other things, the limo's remote control trunk and fuel door openers. Yikes.

49. India. Prime Minister Singh is a down-to-earth, shy person. When he came into office, he insisted on keeping the Hindustan Ambassador as his official car. But his security detail got its way. He now rides in a bulletproof BMW 7-series.

50. Japan. Japanese prime ministers and industrialists all ride in Toyota Century's. Understated blandness best describes these three-box saloons.

51. Mexico. Felipe Calderon, who has to deal with narco-traffickers, leftist guerillas, and pissed off schoolteachers, has the protection of a Suburban.

52. Monaco. Albert has a fleet of automobiles at his disposal. But for official ceremonies, he rides in the Daimler shown below. Businessweek, which published this photograph, misidentified it as a Bentley. So much for fact checking.

53. Norway. The Norwegian PM rides in this 760Li. The previous PM's 7-series, built to NATO armor specifications, never saw any miles on Norwegian roads because its weight exceeded the safety threshold.

54. Finland. The Finnish PM, like his Norwegian counterpart, rides in a 760Li.

55. Tonga. The eccentric king is known for his adoration of military uniforms (especially pith helmets) and his black London taxi. To each his own.

56. U.S.A. Bush toots around town and the world in this modified Cadillac DeVille. There are dozens of blogs, websites, and news stories about the car, so I won't bore you here.

Tally thus far:
Merc S-class- 15
BMW 7 series-6
Land Cruiser- 4
Phaeton- 4
Maybach- 3
A8- 2
G-wagen- 2
Holden- 2
Jag- 2
ZIL- 2

One each of: Hyundai, Lancia, Skoda, A6, Peugeot, Renault, Lincoln, VW van, Caddy, London taxi, Daimler, Suburban, Toyota Century, Honqi

CKY

Rides of Heads of State (Part 8)

A(rabs) to Z(ILs).

41. Saudi Arabia. Mine is bigger than yours. A couple of weeks ago, Putin visited leaders in and near the Arabian Peninsula. A Russian website was keen on identifying what the local rulers drove. First, King Abdullah rode in the longer wheelbased Maybach 62.

42. Qatar. The Russian website then noted that Qatar's emir, always a junior partner in Arab politics and a mere thorn, albeit a rich and powerful thorn, to the House of Saud's back, has the SHORTER Maybach 57. Pobrecito.


43. Yemen. In a recent Frontline investigation of Al Qaeda, a reporter went to Yemen in search of clues. The only finding of note was that President Saleh rode in a silver Mercedes.


44. Jordan. In many instances, heads of state possess a number of cars. Some are for special events, others are for everyday commuting. King Abdullah II of Jordan is a car buff and owns many fine automobiles. He is rumored to own a Maybach. He is also very informal when it comes to his royal duties. He has been seen personally driving guests such as former Japanese PM Koizumi and Russian President Putin. A few years ago, he even gave the keys to his S500 to Colin Powell so Powell could drive to the airport himself.


45. Russia. Putin himself is also a car buff. Who can forget Putin driving Bush in his beloved 1956 Volga? For official state visits and celebrations, Putin's handlers dust off the ZIL 41052, a hand made relic of the Cold War era. Proving that Soviet industrial know-how was on par with the decadent West, this smooth-as-solk beast is mated to a 7.7 liter V8. But on regular commutes to and from work, Putin sticks to the more pedestrian Mercedes S-class.


46. Cuba. Likewise, Fidel also uses his ZIL for special occasions. When Jimmy Carter made a visit a few years ago, Fidel picked him up in a ZIL that was given to him by Brezhnev. But for day-to-day use, Fidel also tools around Havana in a Mercedes S-class. I wonder if Raul will do the same?


CKY