Be a cool Caddy to own...... everyone needs to set off tear gas at some time.
Photo won't lift across...
Assad, Rafat
[Former Syrian Minister of Defense and
brother of Rafez El Assad, the President of Syria]
Armored 1987 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham
currently in the possession of a Cadillac enthusiast and collector in France
Description of the car by Ronald Kimball, founder of Executive Armoring Corporation:
This is one of the seven bullet proof Cadillac's, sold in 1987 to Rafat Assad, brother of Afez, President of Syria.
It has a 110 volt system for electrifying the door handles to electrically shock anyone attempting to enter the vehicle with the intention of kidnapping the passengers.
A black box with the two red covered switches with a small key [in the trunk] is the box for the tear gas deterrent system.
That system has four tear gas grenades hidden inside the four fenders, two front and two rear, to fire or disperse tear gas at anyone attempting to stop the vehicle and kidnap the occupants.
The buzzer is to warn the occupants that tear gas may enter the vehicle.
The protection level is 4, to protect against the M 16, AR 15, AK-47 high powered rifles and automatic weapons.
This Cadillac was one of an order of twelve vehicles (7 Cadillac's and 5 Chevrolet Blazers) for Rafat Assad, to be distributed among his family members living in France at the time. The vehicles were identical except for the color.
They were all shipped to France, via the port of Marseilles. The cost of armoring such a vehicle is approximately $65,000 USD.
The engine is the standard engine supplied by the General Motors factory.
The roof, floor, firewall, gas tank and battery were all protected.
The plastic container under the hood, for the Smoke Screen System, has to be filled with anti-freeze (the liquid normally placed in the radiator).
This liquid is then pumped to the copper tubing that is connected to the exhaust manifold, and when the exhaust manifold is hot, and the engine is running, the anti-freeze burns and turns into a thick white smoke that emits from the exhaust pipes in the rear of the vehicle.