Donald Trump shows off his bomb-proof limousine dubbed ‘The Beast’ to Kim Jong-un
The historic meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un was the first time the leaders of the two countries had ever come face-to-face.
The success of the unprecedented summit, held on the Singapore island of Sentosa, hinged on whether the two world leaders would be able to form a personal relationship.
The 71-year-old president and 34-year-old dictator appeared to be relaxed in each others’ company when they met and later walked the grounds of the Capella resort together.
And it seems that the conversation between the two later headed down the well-trodden male-bonding route of asking: So what do you drive?
Following the summit and a working lunch earlier today, Mr Trump was seen showing Mr Kim to his heavily-armoured Cadillac, dubbed the Beast.
The president then gestured to a security officer who opened the door to allow the North Korean leader a look inside.
The car, also called Cadillac One, weights eight tons on account of its amour and security provisions and is reported to do around 5mpg.
Its doors are eight inches thick, and weigh the same as those of a Boeing 747 jet. As well as making the vehicle bullet and bomb-proof, the doors also completely seal up the cabin to protect against chemical and biological attacks.
The car’s tyres are bullet-proof and its wheels have reinforced rims in case they do burst.
The Cadillac Presidential State Car - its official name - is equipped with an armoury of weapons including tear gas cannons and a shotgun. It even has bottles of the president's blood type on board in case of a medical emergency.
The vehicle is fitted with night vision cameras, GPS tracking and a satellite communication system to allow it to run in any conditions and make sure the President is always in contact.
Showing the car off to Mr Kim could have also been an attempt to garner favour with the North Korean leader, who is thought to be fond of Western luxuries.
Mr Kim, who succeeded his father Kim Jong-il in 2011, was educated for a period in Switzerland and is a big fan of basketball and in particular Michael Jordan.
The only westerner to have seen Mr Kim in private, NBA star Dennis Rodman, has also described the North Korean leader enjoying an opulent lifestyle on his private island near the port city of Wonsan.
Trump-Kim summit | Read more
Mr Rodman, who has travelled to North Korea five times since 2013 to organise exhibition basketball matches, described visiting the island palace as like going to “Hawaii or Ibiza”.
He added: "If you drink a bottle of tequila, it's the best tequila. Everything you want, he has the best."
