For this post, I want to focus on what I can't find. To date, I have found the cars, SUVs, and one pick-up truck of leaders from 167 countries. But what about the 29 countries I can't find information (thus far) for? I'll divide them up by region. If any of you have any leads, please feel free to pass them along to me.
Europe: Andorra, Liechtenstein, Malta, San Marino.Not surprisingly, all four of the missing countries are microstates. My bet is that eventually, I'll discover that these leaders all ride in European luxury sedans.
Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Comoros, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Niger, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles.These are mostly poorer and lesser-known countries. Their official government websites are abysmal, if they exist at all. I'll be lucky to find their official rides during a random clip shown on the BBC World News. I'm not holding my breath. I hypothesize that the split will be 60/40, Merc S-Class/Land Cruiser.
Americas: Guatemala, Paraguay, Suriname.
I believe these three will be the easiest to find. There are new pictures of Guatemala's Colom posted hourly. I have already concluded what Paraguay's president rides in, and I am studying Suriname's Venetiaan's ride. Stay tuned.
Asia: Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Vietnam.Only a matter of time before I find the cars that go with these three countries. I predict Mercedes for Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam and a Caddy or Lincoln for Laos.
Oceania: Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu.These will be as tough to find as the remaining African states. I have noticed two trends as I search for these leaders' rides. First, these countries have small populations and are very poor. Second, many of these countries' only claim to fame is being a pawn in the epic Cold War struggle that is Taiwanese-Chinese diplomatic recognition. The PRC and ROC governments and their agents overtly and covertly spend millions of dollars every year trying to get tiny, poor countries in Oceania (and Central America, the Caribbean, and Africa) to stop recognizing the ROC/PRC and start recognizing the PRC/ROC.
The storylines are pathetic, but somewhat amusing. It is ironic that Taiwan, which many academics believe is the ancestral homeland of the Polynesians (who stretch from Madagascar in the west to Easter Island in the east), is now an annoying and important part of Oceanian politics.
Here are a couple of samplings of the state of Oceania. First, Nauru is an eight square mile speck in the Micronesian South Pacific. For most of this century, it earned its fortune through the mining of phosphate. But an eight square mile island only holds so much phosphate. It is out of the mineral now and it is out of luck. This shot of an old Nauruan Mercedes 380SEL captures the state of Nauru perfectly. What was once an extravagantly well appointed executive sedan is now rusting, with its badge stolen, and with a broken turn signal.
Here is a shot of the door to Tuvalu's prime minister's office. The sign is taped onto the door and a bit torn. Just imagine how many people, expecting the men's or lady's room, interrupted the PM in deep contemplation before he told his assistant to post this sign. Sad, that.
Enough of the
non sequitur. Here's Paraguay.
168. Paraguay. GM Yukon. Duarte Frutos' predecessor's ride was a lot more interesting. It was an armored BMW, which was apparently stolen and registered by El Presidente as a Toyota. Oh, the wacky hijinks. For the record, Paraguay supports Taiwan and there is a huge statue of Chiang Kai-Shek in Ciudad del Este, that haven for smugglers in the Southern Cone.
Updated tally:
S-class: 56
7 series: 15
Land Cruiser: 15
A8: 9
Maybach: 6
Caddy: 5
Suburban/Yukon: 5
Mitsubishi Montero/Pajero: 4
Phaeton: 4
G-wagen: 4
Holden-Chevy-Opel: 3
H2: 3
Jag: 2
ZIL: 2
Volvo: 2
Touareg: 2
One of each of the following: Lancia, Hyundai, Skoda, A6, Peugeot, Renault, Lincoln, VW van, London taxi, Daimler, Toyota Century, Hongqi, Bentley, Rolls, Ford Fairlane, Aston Martin, SEAT, Ford Expedition, Nissan Patrol, Stutz, Suzuki, Camry, Toyota Crown, Toyota Sequoia, Proton, Land Rover, Ford F150, Mitsubishi Galant, Lincoln Town Car, Hummer H1, Chrysler Imperial
CKY
Cayenne police car pulling over Carrera GT.
Moscow fire department Cayenne S.
Rastafarian edition Cayenne.
Russia's biggest cell phone tycoon had this Volga specially made. 
Imitation Cayenne, based on a Touareg.
Cold War-vintage range map
Enough of the non sequitur. Here's Paraguay.
Lessons mis-un-learned?
Greeted as liberators/Clinch the nom on Super Tuesday
Superman or Super Dud?
'Nuf said.
Special Agent Fife
165. Uzbekistan. Karimov's goons have been known to give months-long gulag vacations to those who take pictures of his Merc S-class. So no photo for you.
167. Bahamas. The Bahamian PMs have always been partial to American sedans. A 2000 photo showed the then-PM's Lincoln Continental. Here, we see the current PM next to his Caddy DTS.
I thought I'd solve the puzzles that are the official cars of Paraguay and Suriname, but no. Stay tuned.
159. Kuwait. The Emir steps out of a GMC Suburban. I was expecting a Maybach or at least an S-class. But seeing as how us Amurikans saved the Kuwaitis' asses, they should buy one of our gas guzzlers.
162. Djibouti. With the entire country virtually fed, clothed, and housed with U.S. military dollars, no wonder Guelleh rides in a Hummer-- with whitewall tires no less. That's class.
163. Peru. In a show of austerity, President Alan Garcia put a few presidential cars on the auction block. The car in the forefront (which I shall officially attribute to Peru on my list) is a 1972 Chrysler Imperial. The boat in the background is a 1973 Chrysler New Yorker. That's pimp.
Updated tally:
153. Greece. The geriatric but amiable president rides in a Merc S-class.
154. Honduras. El Presidente Alto rides in a big Suburban.
155. Tunisia. The great leader rides in the ubiquitous Merc S-class.
156. Vanuatu. After watching a 30 minute documentary on Vanuatu and the West Papuan independence movement, I discovered that the poor PM rides in a black Mitsubishi Galant.
157. Bangladesh. With the government in chaos, the true leader is Army Chief of Staff General Moeen Ahmed. He rides in a Mitsu Montero/Pajero. And according to El General, he does not condone torture and human rights groups are full of shit.
In spite of its hulking presence, it is understated and elegant. I was especially captivated by the rear third of the car. It is a true testament to the designer's skills that a few simple lines can translate into confidence and stability. Though its cousin, the Turbo R saloon, will always be my favorite Bentley, the Continental is growing on me.
CKY
Then I got my answer. The garage door opened and out came a red Ferrari 275. It was magnificent. The muffled burbling from the V12 sent a shiver down my spine. I immediately imagined what I'd do with that car on PCH. The thoughts were lewd.
That's why the Porsche was parked outside, exposed.
Now that Ralf is out of Formula One, his search for glory continues. After two pseudo-secretive test drives, it looks like he will be driving for Mercedes in the 2008 DTM series. But the two motorsports are so different. He has a steep learning curve and impatient fans waiting for him. Will he succeed? Will failure further destroy this man's soul? Michael has urged him to resist driving in the DTM series. If Ralf heeds Michael's counsel, is he not perpetuating the role of the less talented, and naive, little brother?
What's going through his head, as he announced last November that he was retiring from racing? Has he found closure? Is he content? Will his lack of success in DTM pester his subconscious for the rest of his life? In the 2007 season, I always enjoyed his post-race interviews, regardless of whether he won or lost. He seemed at peace with everything. He was focused and competitive, but he saw the big picture. His answers were detailed, entertaining, and honest. I will miss Mika. 
