Sunday, July 27, 2008

Rides of Heads of State (Part 28.1)

We're down to the last dirty dozen. Today, I can only offer three discoveries.

183. Papua New Guinea. Given the poor state of this country's infrastructure, I had assumed that Somare would ride in an SUV, probably a Land Cruiser. But I was wrong. His ride, I believe, is the E-class Mercedes in the background at this golf tournament.


184. Marshall Islands. Here we see the ride of the penultimate president of the RMI (Kessai Note)-- a Caddy DTS. It should be no surprise. Until recently, the nation was a U.S. territory. Plus, you'll notice the ROC flag on the car. The photo was taken when Chen Shui-Bien was in town throwing money at the RMI for its loyalty. You'll recall that the ROC President's official ride has always been a Caddy as well.


185. Laos. It seems the Lao government bought a large fleet of Mercedes S-class sedans for its government officials. Sharp-eyed tourists have spotted the leader's black Merc motorcade zooming through Vientiane. Here is a shot of the Merc belonging to the Lao ambassador to Thailand.


Updated tally:
S-class: 58
Land Cruiser: 18
7 series: 15
A8: 11
Caddy: 7
Maybach: 6
Suburban/Yukon/Escalade: 6
Mitsubishi Montero/Pajero: 4
Phaeton: 4
G-wagen: 4
Holden-Chevy-Opel: 4
H2: 3
Jag: 2
ZIL: 2
Volvo: 2
Touareg: 2
Lincoln: 2
Toyota Crown: 2
Merc E-class: 2

One of each of the following: Lancia, Hyundai, Skoda, A6, Peugeot, Renault, Lincoln, VW van, London taxi, Daimler, Toyota Century, Hongqi, Bentley, Rolls, Ford Fairlane, Aston Martin, SEAT, Ford Expedition, Nissan Patrol, Stutz, Suzuki, Camry, Toyota Sequoia, Proton, Land Rover, Ford F150, Mitsubishi Galant, Hummer H1, Chrysler Imperial, Mitsu L200 pick-up, Mazda truck.

I still need to identify cars from the following countries:
  • Europe: San Marino
  • Africa: Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Niger, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles
  • Oceania: Kiribati, Micronesia, Solomon Island
Help?

CKY

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