Putin unveils his new official car and has nothing to envy from America's Beast

The cars of the presidents of the world’s major countries are usually very special vehicles. The Beast, the car of the President of the United States, immediately comes to mind for all of us. We devoted an article to this machine some time ago, but it is not the only car that must protect a senior international leader. Vladimir Putin has been inaugurated as President of Russia for the fourth time, and for the occasion he has chosen the new presidential limousine that has been in development for several years.

We have been able to see something about this car, which is intended for transporting high-ranking figures of the Russian State, but this is the first time we have seen it in motion and fulfilling its purpose. It is a saloon that in some ways recalls a Rolls Royce, but it has been designed and developed by a consortium of Russian companies. The imposing appearance of this black presidential limousine is enhanced by a fine chrome line that runs along the entire side.

On the roof of the car several antennas can be seen, which form part of the secure communications system fitted to the vehicle. We do not know other details of the car, although Russian media assure that we will soon learn more details about this impressive car. What we do know is that it is part of a project called Cortege, or more precisely Kortezh, which is its name in Russian.

This project aims to ensure that Russia’s official cars are not made by foreign manufacturers, and they have been developed by the Central Scientific Research Automobile and Automotive Institute of Moscow together with a conglomerate of Russian automotive companies. The participation of Porsche is also known, which has supplied the powertrain. We still do not know which engine this official car uses, but considering the level of armour and equipment it carries, the suspicion that it uses a V8 or even V12 engine is not too far-fetched.

The saloon is not the only configuration in which this presidential vehicle has been developed; SUV and minivan versions are also planned, intended for the secure transport of important people in the Russian government. The final number of these vehicles is expected to be around 4,000 units, although it is believed that only about 200 have been built so far in this first production run, in different configurations.

Either way, this is a formidable car, and it is going to surprise us when we find out what lies beneath that imposing bodywork. What do you think of Putin’s new car?