Forget politics for a moment. It’s hard, but this black 2018 Cadillac ATS-V is worth your best efforts. With 464 horsepower driving the rear wheels, it’s a stout sports sedan capable of hanging with the BMW M3, and it doesn’t look bad in black with a brown leather interior. That’s how Joe Biden ordered this car back in 2017, and yes, we’re talking about President Joe Biden. Now, it’s up for auction at Cars & Bids.
According to documents included in the listing, Biden visited Delaware Cadillac in Wilmington back in 2017 with eyes on an ATS-V. He was the former vice president at that point, and according to other documents in the auction, he changed his security status so he could drive in public. That led him to the ATS-V we see here, and a majority of the 15,894 miles were accumulated during his ownership through 2020. Or rather, his stewardship. This was a lease, not a purchase.
The presidential connection isn’t the only thing that makes this car special, however. Biden was keen on having a Raven Black ATS-V with the Kona Brown leather interior, but Cadillac didn’t offer Kona Brown on its hottest ATS trim. It turns out, being a prominent political figure in the US comes with some perks, as outlined by even more documentation shown in the auction listing. To sum up a veritable sea of corporate emails, strings were pulled to grant Biden’s request and the result is this one-of-one ATS-V.
As for the bronze wheels, those are from a CT4-V Blackwing and were added by Delaware Cadillac after the car was turned in. The listing also notes some minor bodywork performed in spots, which the seller (Delaware Cadillac) states was actually paintwork to fix minor scratches. Beyond that, the ATS-V also has a Renick Performance front grille and rear bumper trim, tinted windows, and suede on the steering wheel and shifter.
Options-wise, it has Cadillac’s Luxury Package and the Safety & Security package, which doesn’t include bulletproof doors but does have a heads-up display, among other things. Shifting is done through an eight-speed automatic.
Will the presidential history and one-off status send this ATS-V into a bidding war? We saw Donald Trump’s former Lamborghini Diablo VT recently fetch over $1 million at auction. The ATS-V isn’t an Italian V12 supercar, but it certainly has no shortage of fans in the performance fold. Bidding is already at $29,046 with six days still to go. Any guesses as to what the final price will be?
