(Newswire.net — November 4, 2014) — The national automobile and machine industry (NAMI) announced plans to produce a line of 6.0 liter V12-turbo engines with up to 850 horsepower capacity in the next couple of years.
New power engines will be designed for the “Cortege” project, which will produce, not only presidential vehicles, but other cars, SUV’s and vans in the presidential escort. The future engine will also be applied to military vehicles and even used in aviation.
“Our colleagues from the West, who participate in the project, have casually dubbed this V12 a ‘tsar engine’,” NAMI head Maksim Nagaitsev told Gazeta.ru.
Russia’s Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov told journalists that the project is designed to create modern Russia’s own car-manufacturing base, however, it has been reported that German automobile giant Porsche might take part in the Russian project.
For now, the design of the cars being developed by the Cortege project remain a secret, but should go public by the end of the year, officials said, however, a model of the presidential limo was unveiled by NAMI earlier this year.
Top Cortege vehicle, the Russian presidential limo will be the world’s first four-wheel drive official state car, according to NAMI head Nagaitsev. The design for the future president’s limo was chosen in an open contest, with international artists participating. Russian president Vladimir Putin will select two of the six finalists who were chosen among 80 different artworks.
“We started working on two concepts. One had historical references, and another resembled contemporary European [cars],” Nagaitsev told Za Rulem magazine, adding that a new Russian presidential limo is going to be the largest in the world.
Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich announced last year that project costs are around $550 million.
Production of a new presidential car will be finished in 2017, meanwhile, Russian president is currently driven in an armored Mercedes Pullman.
The world’s No1 presidential limo is still the US President Obama’s “Beast”. The “Beast” is not a Cadillac but a unique combination of Americas finest. It has its own airplane, holds seven passengers and is heavily equipped. Under the Beast’s trunk is everything from firefighting equipment and oxygen tanks to a cache of the president’s blood type. There are tear gas canisters, shotguns and, supposedly, grenade launchers, integrated into The Beast which it’s armour can withhold even a nuclear blast.