Mr. M

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The German Chancellor travels by Quattroporte

09/13/2006Modena

Angela Merkel arrived at a private audience with Pope Benedetto XVI in an armour-plated version of the Trident flagship.

Chancellor Merkel arrived at Castel Gandolfo on 28th August aboard a coal-coloured Quattroporte. This was the first time in the Trident’s history that a German head of state had used a Maserati for official business.

The armour-plated version of the Quattroporte is used by many VIPs and business people. It offers the highest levels of security against attack, whilst being very difficult to distinguish from the standard model. Another high-profile personality who enjoys the Trident’s unmistakable security and luxury is the President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano.

Suspicious, what happened to the German flagships...

Zonda

Great way of promoting Germany

MikeJ

This was in Italy, so it's hardly a big deal.

The Artist

of course she travels bye quattro porte.. many politicians do..
roadsters and coupes dont do well in that area..
so quattro portes all the way i say

450SEL6.9

Any pictures? I love armoured cars.

I thought Merkel selected an Audi Security A8 for her official limousine? I think she is only using it while on a visit of Italy.

Mr. M

I can't find many, probably because it is an extremely rare car, but here are some pictures of the Italian Premier's armoured QP instead:







Silvio Berlusconi

CAR: MASERATI QUATTROPORTE
STANDARD PRICE: £74,550, THIS VERSION £200,000*.
ENGINE: 4.2-LITRE V8
POWER: 400BHP
TOP SPEED: 171MPH
SEATS: FOUR
STANDARD WEIGHT 1,970KG. THIS VERSION 3,300KG*

Trust the Italians to have the fastest, noisiest, most stylish state transport, complete with racetrack-ready V8 engine and F1-style six-speed sequential gearbox. Bulletproof panels and glass surround the passengers.

Something to ponder about, before Merkel changed to the A8:

Angela Merkel

CAR: VOLKSWAGEN PHAETON
STANDARD PRICE: £70,065, THIS VERSION £200,000*.
ENGINE: 6-LITRE W12
POWER: 443BHP
TOP SPEED: 155MPH
SEATS: FOUR
STANDARD WEIGHT 2,434KG, THIS VERSION 4,000KG*

Gerhard Schroeder chose VW's flagship superluxury saloon over the Audis and Mercs used by former German chancellors, but has had to hand it over to successor Angela Merkel. A hugely powerful six-litre W12 engine beats even Berlusconi's Maserati with its 443bhp.

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EnI

Frau Merkel will get a new car soon: BMW Hydrogen 7. Not kidding!

450SEL6.9

I don't see how those reported top speeds are remotely close to being accurate. An armoured QP cannot go 171 mph! Even with an upgraded engine, you don't want to go that fast in an armoured car! The engines are usually upgraded to keep acceleration speed the same, but the top speed is always reduced. I think 125 mph, 200 kmh is about the limit for a fully-armoured security vehicle. During a getaway, acceleration is more important.

The French have the best Head-of-State vehicles. They're all modified Peugeots, Renaults, Citroens.

cawimmer430

Bush travelled in his armoured Cadillac DTS while in Germany. Merkel should do the same.

That's the problem with these CDU politicians...

450SEL6.9

The US President's car is shipped around the world for his use. I saw on a Discovery Channel program that it is the security protocol for him to ride in his own official limousine so he had the Cadillac in Germany. The other Heads of State tend to ride in whatever vehicle the host country provides for him/her because they don't always ship their own car to their destination.