Bushmobile Unveiled for G-8 Summit

Associated Press via Yahoo ^ | Wed Feb 4, 2004 11:49 AM ET | RUSS BYNUM

[humboldtconservative]

SAVANNAH, Ga. -

What's red, white and blue, runs off a 72-volt battery and has a top speed of 25 mph?

The president's official Bushmobile for the summer Group of Eight summit.

G-8 organizers on Monday unveiled the electric car — which resembles a golf cart the size of a Volkswagen Beetle — customized for President Bush (news - web sites) to cruise around Sea Island during the June 8-10 meeting of world leaders.

Leaders of the remaining seven countries attending the summit in coastal Georgia need not be jealous. They'll each get similar rides decked out with decal motifs based on their own national flags.

"You'll see them on TV as (the leaders) arrive to meetings and dinners during the summit," said Barry Bennett, spokesman for the Sea Island Summit Planning Organization.

The cars are made by Global Electric Motorcars of Fargo, N.D., a subsidiary of Daimler Chrysler. With 12-inch wheels and open sides, they work as high-end golf carts.

But they're also street legal in areas where the speed limit is 35 mph or less, with seat belts, headlights, mirrors and even windshield wipers as standard features.

Capable of driving 30 miles between charging, the vehicles are perfect for a secluded resort like Sea Island, which is only 5 miles long and half-a-mile wide, Bennett said.

The four-seat model the summit leaders will drive — minus the flashy flag decals — retails for $8,995.

Savannah company Digital Image is in charge of decorating the cars, using photographs of each country's flag blown up to 5-by-10-foot decals. The trick is to make each leader's car instantly recognizable, especially with no doors to decorate, said company president Doug Smith.

"There's very little surface area," Smith said. "The most difficult one would be the Japanese flag ... the fact that it's just a field of white with a red dot in the center."

[humboldtconservative]

Not quite as cool as the Batmobile, but....

[pt17]

Not quite as cool as the Batmobile, but....

They should let Jesse James and the Monster Garage have a go at making cool.

[BurbankKarl]

glad to see the Germans taking the lead in electric vehicles...

[dirtboy]

G-8 organizers on Monday unveiled the electric car — which resembles a golf cart the size of a Volkswagen Beetle — customized for President Bush (news - web sites) to cruise around Sea Island during the June 8-10 meeting of world leaders.

What is this crap? Give all the other G-8 weenies their golf carts and give Bush a Viper.

[areafiftyone]

I hope these things are bulletproof. There are so many nutjobs out there.

[cweese]

...that would be a GEMcar, American made. i've got one myself for tooling about town (Austin) which makes the tree-huggers drool whenever i pull up to the front of whole foods or central market. actually, it IS a good, reliable mode of transportation, but isn't comfortable in the rain or cold (no doors)...

[BurbankKarl]

well, yes, its made in Fargo, but working for two divisions of DaimlerChrysler (Mercedes and SMART), I can tell you where the Euros come from....Stuttgart!

of course, all the GM EV1s are sitting in a parking lot in Van Nuys, CA, since GM doesn't know what to do with the toxic batteries.

[CrazyIvan]

....which makes the tree-huggers drool whenever i pull up to the front of whole foods or central market.

Hey! I thought one of our purposes was to hack these people off! Come on, you're letting us down! Put an NRA sticker on it or something!

[weegee]

Doesn't seem safe to me. An open sided vehicle that has a top speed of 25mph? Better hope they don't have a parade route through Dealy Red Square.

[Centurion2000]

bump

[finnman69]

you think?

[SquirrelKing]

Check this out:

[weegee]

George Barris is still alive and could do wonders customizing one of these things.

[LTCJ]

well, yes, its made in Fargo

Open sided carts? There's two things that aren't made in Fargo - those boys don't have sand gnats or deer flies up there, that's for sure.

They're going to need the better part of that 25 MPH just to keep from getting eaten alive come June. The blooper reals are gonna be great.

[GhostofWCooper]

I doubt there are going to be many nutjobs at this summit. It's on an island 5 by 1/2 miles in size. The protests at the last one won't be seen this time...

Globalists are having to hide on an atoll somewhere.
;^)

[cweese]

...actually, i DO have an NRA sticker along with several bush/cheney stickers. i've never heard a negative comment, even with the stickers!...

[rottweiller_inc]

What is this crap? Give all the other G-8 weenies their golf carts and give Bush a Viper.

heh it's the europeons idea of a subtle jab at bush for not signing on to Kyoto