The US Secret Service is best known for its work protecting the president and other high-ranking politicians and their families, and its agents need to be ready for anything – and that includes vehicles outside of its traditional fleet.
General Motors this week sent 10 vehicles to the federal law enforcement agency’s James J Rowley Training Center (RTC) in Laurel, Maryland in order for the company to not only get feedback from agents, but also to give them experience driving different vehicles.
The fleet of 10 vehicles is diverse. It includes three SUVs (a Cadillac Escalade, a Chevrolet Suburban, and a Chevrolet Tahoe with a police package), as well as two Chevrolet Corvettes.
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GM also sent the Secret Service four Cadillac CT4 and CT5 sedans, two of which have manual transmissions. That would make them hot twin-turbocharged V6-powered CT4-V Blackwing and supercharged V8-powered CT5-V Blackwing models.
You might think it’s pointless for a government agency to be driving supercars and manual sports sedans, but the Secret Service has explained the rationale.
“Not everyone is able to operate a manual shift,” said Mark Armstrong, a driving instructor at the RTC for 10 years. “Having that platform here will enable us to give instruction on how to drive manual vehicles for overseas trips.”
These overseas trips can include visits to foreign field offices or protective duties, so agents need proficiency in a range of driving skills and vehicle types.
“Experience with different types of vehicles can help instructors teach students how to adapt their driving techniques based on the vehicle they are operating,” added Scott Simons, the special agent in charge of the RTC.
“Because each vehicle handles differently in any given situation, exposure to new cars will challenge instructors and give them an opportunity to develop more realistic training scenarios.”
Having vehicles outside the norm also provides an element of surprise for students, who might be expecting a black Tahoe only to find a Corvette blast into the training area.
Ultimately, special agents in the field and uniformed division officers are more likely to end up behind the wheel of something like a Tahoe in their daily duties but, sorry agents, we don’t think a supercharged V8-powered, manual CT5-V Blackwing will end up in your motor pool.
GM already supplies vehicles to the Secret Service, including presidential parade limousines and armoured SUVs for use in motorcades.
Initially established to investigate the counterfeiting of US currency, the Secret Service these days provides more than just protective services. It also conducts financial and cybercrime investigations.
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