page_title: Official state car
section_title: Poland
hierarchical_section_title: Official state car / Countries / Poland
caption_attribution_description: Warsaw 2015
context_page_description: An official state car is a vehicle used by a government to transport its head of state or head of government in an official capacity, which may also be used occasionally to transport other members of the government or visiting dignitaries from other countries. A few countries bring their own official state car for state visits to other countries, for instance, the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom and South Korea. It also may serve as an automotive symbol of the head of state and their country. Part of the criteria for an official state car is to have adequate security, capability and stateliness for its duty. A limousine, executive car, or sport utility vehicle is usually selected.
  Due to the high security risk of the passengers, these vehicles are often heavily secured and protected. Vehicles may be armoured by the manufacturer or an after-market specialist. When carrying an important passenger, state vehicles may be surrounded by a motorcade consisting of police or military personnel.
context_section_description: The president of Poland, prime minister of Poland and other high officials are protected by Government Protection Bureau (BOR). Both the president and prime minister are entitled to use an armored car and travel in at least a three-car motorcade (with 6 to 10 guards).
  First (Republic of Poland) president Wojciech Jaruzelski used an armored Volvo 760 GLE. Lech Wałęsa used an also stretched Volvo 760 and a Mercedes-Benz 560 SEL W126 stretched limousine and an Audi A8 D2 since 1994. President Aleksander Kwaśniewski for 10 years in office used primarily a fleet of BMW 750iL S (E38). Lech Kaczyński used original and facelifted BMW 7 Series (E67). Bronisław Komorowski was the first president to use Mercedes-Benz S600 Guard (W221) and BMW 760Li High Security (F03) purchased in 2010. Ahead of Polish EU presidency in 2011 a fleet of 14 Audi A8, 9 Audi A6 and 4 Audi Q7 was purchased in late 2010 for BOR. A number of new armored Audi A8 L Security (4H) was ordered in September 2016 and delivered in December 2016 for use by President Andrzej Duda.
  In 2016 and 2017, there were two serious car accidents involving Polish president and prime minister cars. It was revealed that since the past decade, the BOR had dozens of car collisions, but those cases were kept out of public. On 4 March 2016, President Andrzej Duda's BMW 760Li HS went into a ditch on A4 motorway when its rear tire blew. The car was moved to the forensic lab for investigation. The accident was blamed for series of procedure violation, while the tire (produced in 2010) was used beyond its two years service life against manufacturer's accordance. The person in charge of BOR fleet maintenance was sacked. Just four days after the incident Ministry of Interior tried to settle the tender for 20 new cars, selecting Audi A8 L Quattro, but because of two consecutive protests in June 2016 it ordered 20 BMW 750Li xDrive (G12) instead whose deliveries started the same month.
  On 25 January 2017 a BMW X5 (F15) crashed into the minister of national defense's BMW 750Li xDrive (G12) (both from Military Gendarmerie) in an eight cars pileup on S8 expressway. It was later revealed that due to the upcoming 2016 Warsaw NATO Summit the Military Gendarmerie had purchased urgently 37 new BMW and Audi cars in 2016.
  On 10 February 2017 an Audi A8 L Security transporting Prime Minister Beata Szydło hit a tree in Oświęcim at approx. 50 km/h. The prime minister suffered minor injuries, but spent the following week in a military hospital in Warsaw; her security guard suffered leg bone fracture, while the driver was also injured. The accident occurred when the government car moving in the three cars motorcade with piloting Audi A6 and closing Audi Q7 using red and blue beacons was overtaking a group of cars on a three-way junction. The Audi driver swerved left to avoid collision with a Fiat Seicento, but still hit the Fiat's bumper, that cut them off while turning left from the priority road, but without using indicator. The Fiat's driver assumed there was only one emergency vehicle. The prosecutor accused the Fiat driver of causing the accident. The court will decide the guilt of either the BOR or Fiat's driver. Even before the accident the Ministry of Interior and Administration announced a major reform in The Government Protection Bureau.
  Since 2010 the most popular car used by government members officials was Škoda Superb.
  In 2014 a 1935 Cadillac Fleetwood 355D used by Marshal of Poland Józef Piłsudski was restored to a driving condition. The only post war communist president Bolesław Bierut had a 1939 Austin Twenty-Eight. Józef Cyrankiewicz, the longest-serving prime minister of Polish People's Republic used cars such as 1953 Buick Skylark, 1961 Jaguar E-Type and 1963 Jaguar Mark X. First Secretary of the PZPR in 1950s and 1960s Władysław Gomułka used cars such as GAZ M13 Chaika and ZIL-111D. They both used also the Mercedes-Benz 300d "Adenauer". 1970s prime minister Piotr Jaroszewicz used Mercedes W109 300 SEL. In 1978 an armored Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham was purchased for First Secretary Edwa
caption: The Cadillac Fleetwood 355D used by Józef Piłsudski as his state car.
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